Setzpfandt, FrankSukhorukov, AndreySchiek, RolandSolntsev, Alexander S.Ricken, RaimundMin, YoohongSohler, WolfgangPertsch, ThomasKivshar, YuriNeshev, Dragomir2016-05-242016-05-241094-4087http://hdl.handle.net/1885/101512We study experimentally and numerically the dynamics of a recently found topological phase transition for discrete quadratic solitons with linearly coupled SH waves. We find that, although no stationary states are excited in the experimental situation, the generic feature of the phase transition of the SH is preserved. By utilizing simulations of the coupled mode equations we identify the complex processes leading to the phase transition involving spatial focusing and the generation of new frequency components. These distinct signatures of the dynamic phase transition are also demonstrated experimentally.The authors acknowledge support by the Australian Academy of Science and the International Bureau of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research in Germany under the AustraliaGermany Researcher Mobility Call 2010-2011, the Go8-DAAD (Australia-Germany Joint Research Co-operation Scheme), the German Research Foundation (NanoGuide), the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (PhoNa), and the Thuringian Ministry of Education, Science and Culture (MeMa).14 pages© 2011 Optical Society of America. This is an open access journal. https://www.osapublishing.org/oe/journal/oe/about.cfm (Publisher journal website as of 24/5/2016).Nonlinear opticsParametric processesUltrafast nonlinear optics2011-11-0710.1364/OE.19.0231882016-06-14