Interaction of NLS Solitons with defects: Numerical Experiments and Finite-dimensional modeling

We consider the interaction of a nonlinear Schrödinger soliton with a localized (point) defect in the medium through which it travels. Using numerical simulations, we find parameter regimes under which the soliton may be reflected, transmitted, or captured by the defect. We propose a mechanism of resonant energy transfer to a nonlinear standing wave mode supported by the defect. Following Forinash et. al. [2], we derive a finite-dimensional model for the interaction of the soliton with the defect via a collective coordinates method. The system thus derived is a three degree-of-freedom Hamiltonian with an additional conserved quantity. We study this system using the tools of dynamical systems theory, and find that it exhibits a variety of interesting behaviors, largely determined by the structures of stable and unstable manifolds of special classes of periodic orbits. We use this geometrical understanding to interpret the simulations. Dedicated to Klaus Kirchgässner on the occasion of his seventieth birthday.