THE INITIAL-VALUE PROBLEM FOR ZERO AREA PULSES

Abstract

The purpose of this work is to study the initial value problem for coherent pulse propagation (SIT) for zero area pulses. We employ the machinery of the newly developed mathematical technique of the inverse scattering method (ISM) to deduce general rules by which one can predict the kind of output pulses for a given input pulse impinging on a resonant attenuator. This study is relevant since the area theorem cannot provide unambiguous information about zero area pulses. Thus in effect we introduce an equivalent and more general formulation to the theorem in terms of the reflection coefficient, r(ν), of the ISM. The poles of r(ν) correspond to the steady state solitary pulses called solitons. We show that the threshold for soliton generation, including breathers, is for an absolute initial area of about π, a result consistent with the predictions of the area theorem. We solve an example of an input zero area profile. We also show that if the input pulse has an odd profile with respect to time, only breathers can be expected as solitons. We demonstrate that the conservation equations are of limited use when applied to zero area pulses. They give satisfactory results only in a limited region. We compare the predictions of the conservation equations to the predictions of the ISM, and come to the conclusion that for zero area pulses, the ISM is the only known satisfactory approach.