Spectral-furcated vector soliton in birefringence-managed fiber lasers

We demonstrate spectral-furcated vector solitons in normal-dispersion fiber lasers comprising a section of polarization-maintaining fiber. The spectrum of each orthogonal-polarized component is confined by the birefringence-related phase-matching principle, and the bicorn spectral structure corresponds to the zero-order sidebands of two vector modes. Due to the Hopf bifurcation effect, the vector soliton evolves into a breathing state at the higher pump level, accompanied by an extra set of sub-sidebands that continuously exchange energy with the zero-order sidebands. Simulation results fully reproduce experimental observations of the spectral furcation and soliton breathing, offering comprehensive insights into the pulse-shaping mechanism of the birefringence-managed soliton.