Abstract
This paper focuses on the instability modulation and new travelling wave solutions of the (2 + 1)-dimensional Kundu–Mukherjee–Naskar equation via the tanh function method. Dark, mixed dark–bright, complex solitons and periodic wave solutions are archived. Strain conditions for the validity of results are also reported. Instability modulation properties of the governing model are also extracted. Various wave simulations in 2D, 3D and contour graphs under the strain conditions are presented.