Extended criterion for the modulation instability

Modulation instability, following the classical Lighthill criterion, appears if nonlinearity and dispersion make opposite contributions to the wave frequency, e.g. in the framework of the one-dimensional nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE). Several studies of the wave instabilities in optical fibers revealed four wave mixing instabilities that are not covered by the Lighthill criterion and require use of the generalized NLSE. We derive an extended criterion, which applies to all four wave interactions, covers arbitrary dispersion, and depends neither on the propagation equation nor on the slowly varying envelope approximation.