Nonlinear states and nonlinear tunneling in a potential well

A nonlinear Schroedinger model in a square well and managed nonlinearity is shown to possess nonlinear states as continuous extensions of the linear levels. The solutions are remarkably stable up to a threshold amplitude where a soliton is emitted and propagates outside the well. The analytic expression of the threshold is given in terms of the well size for each level. This process of nonlinear tunneling results from an instability of the evanescent wave inside the walls and can find experimental realization in a proposed nonlinear fiber Bragg gratings resonator.