Localized Optical Waves in Defocusing Regime of Negative-Index Materials

We study optical localized waves on a plane-wave background in negative-index materials governed by the defocusing nonlinear Schr6dinger equation with self-steepening effect. Important characteristics of localized waves, such as the excitations, transitions, propagation stability, and mechanism, are revealed in detail. An intrigu- ing sequential transition that involves the rogue wave, antidark-dark soliton pair, antidark soliton and antidark soliton pair can be triggered as the self-steepening effect attenuates. The corresponding phase diagram is estab- lished in the defocusing regime of negative-index materials. The propagation stability of the localized waves is confirmed numerically. In particular, our results illuminate the transition mechanism by establishing the exact correspondence between the transition and the modulation instability analysis.