Stable pulse solutions for the nonlinear Schrödinger equation with higher order dispersion management

The evolution of optical pulses in fiber optic communication systems with strong, higher order dispersion management is modeled by a cubic nonlinear Schrödinger equation with periodically varying linear dispersion at second and third order. Through an averaging procedure, we derive an approximate model for the slow evolution of such pulses and show that this system possesses a stable ground state solution. Furthermore, we characterize the ground state numerically. The results explain the experimental observation of higher order dispersion managed solitons, providing theoretical justification for modern communication systems design.