Our study delves into the intricate interplay of various factors within metamaterials, with a
focus on modulation instability. Through our research, we elucidate the intricate dynamics involving intermodal dispersion, self-steepening effect, higher order dispersion, and plane wave amplitude,
showcasing their competition and influence on modulation instability phenomena. We aim to explore
the impact of intermodal dispersion and higher-order effects by numerically solving the generalized
nonlinear Schr¨odinger equation (NLSE), which models the propagation of a few-cycle pulse in a nonlinear metamaterial. Our modulation instability (MI) analysis captures the complex dynamics these
factors introduce. We demonstrate the spatiotemporal evolution of MI under different parameter
values, revealing how these variations influence the instability’s development and characteristics.
This approach provides a detailed understanding of the system’s behavior across various conditions,
highlighting the roles of intermodal dispersion and higher-order effects. We demonstrate that the
behavior of modulation instability bands and their reliance on parameters such as self-steepening
and wave amplitude is contingent upon the specific characteristics of the optical setup and medium
dispersion properties.