Selected papers in nonlinear dynamics in dissipative and discrete optical systems

Abstract

In recent years much attention has been devoted to the study of intrinsic localization of light, i.e. the formation of solitons, in realistic nonlinear systems. This concerns essentially settings where the energy exchange with the environment (dissipative systems) and the noninstantaneous nonlinear response of the respective nonlinear material are taken into account. Another interesting aspect in nonlinear physics is the role of discreteness. Energy exchange (or dissipation) and the noninstantaneous response affect to a large extent the action of the nonlinearity, whereas discreteness offers new opportunities to control the linear properties of the system. Consequently, all these effects and their interplay will evoke a plethora of new soliton solutions. This special issue of Applied Physics B contains selected results of the DFG Research Unit 512 ‘Nonlinear spatio-temporal dynamics in dissipative and discrete optical systems’ together with guest contributions of Stefano Longhi, Politecnico di Milano, and the group of Zhigang Chen, San Francisco State University. The subject looked at by the Research Unit was in its infancy when we started our project. Meanwhile, it has attracted a great deal of interest and lies well in the mainstream of contemporary research in optics. In order to identify the wealth of the underlying physics, we looked at various optical systems spanning from fairly simple ones such as passive and active optical fibers and media exhibiting a secondor third-order nonlinearity to more