Discrete solitons in time-domain photonic crystals

Summary form only given. We show that a new family of solitons, the so-called discrete optical solitons, are possible in highly birefringent optical fibers. This can be accomplished by copropagating a discrete soliton state (in the fast polarization axis), with a relatively strong periodic pump wave of a different wavelength that acts like a time domain photonic crystal along the slow axis of the fiber. The two waves interact via polarization cross-phase modulation provided that their polarization group velocities are almost the same. Depending on the regime where this interaction takes place, different families of discrete soliton solutions can be obtained. Our results are illustrated by means of relevant examples.