Bio-inspired method for generating self-trapped beams in the nonlinear Schrodinger equation

We introduce a stochastic optimization technique to obtain self-trapped beams in the generalized nonlinear Schrodinger equation. The method is based on combining a variational approach with a bio-inspired method: the cuckoo search algorithm that relies on Levy flights. The proposed technique can be easily adapted to generate diverse self-trapped structures in a plethora of nonlinear media. Unlike the standard variational technique and some of the numerical algorithms previously reported, this algorithm allows for the optimization of different families of self-trapped beams concurrently.