Abstract：We study optical localized waves on a plane-wave background in negative-index materials governed by the defocusing nonlinear Schrödinger equation with self-steepening effect. Important characteristics of localized waves, such as the excitations, transitions, propagation stability, and mechanism, are revealed in detail. An intriguing 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 established 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.
2017, Vol. 34 
