Loss induced multiple symmetry breakings in the Fermi Pasta Ulam recurrence process

Fermi Pasta Ulam (FPU) recurrence process describes the ability of a nonlinear system to excite multiple modes and then to return to its initial state. In fiber optics, such process has been investigated within the framework of modulation instability (MI) [1] , corresponding to growth of weak perturbations at the expense of a strong pump. Nonlinear stage of MI and FPU recurrences in optical fibers have been widely investigated and many results have been obtained with an efficient compensation of the losses [2] . Investigations on water waves [3] demonstrated that dissipation of their water tank forces the system to operate in a single regime. Here, we provide a deeper and complete study on the impact of dissipation of the FPU dynamics. Thanks to a fiber optics system, we have been able to control the loss coefficient, allowing us to trigger the different corresponding FPU regimes.