Shock wave dynamics in a discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation with internal losses

Propagation of a shock wave (SW), converting an energy-carrying domain into an empty one, is studied in a discrete version of the normal-dispersion nonlinear Schrödinger equation with viscosity, which may describe, e.g., an array of optical fibers in a weakly lossy medium. It is found that the SW in the discrete model is stable, as well as in its earlier studied continuum counterpart. In a strongly discrete case, the dependence of the SWs velocity upon the amplitude of the energy-carrying background is found to obey a simple linear law, which differs by a value of the proportionality coefficient from a similar law in the continuum model. For the underdamped case, the velocity of the shock wave is found to be vanishing along with the viscosity constant. We argue that the latter feature is universal for long but finite systems, both discrete and continuum. The dependence of the SW’s width on the parameters of the system is also discussed.