Solitons and spectral renormalization methods in nonlinear optics

Localized wave solutions, often referred to as solitary waves or solitons, are important classes of solutions in nonlinear optics. In optical communications, weakly nonlinear, quasi-monochromatic waves satisfy the “classical” and the “dispersion-managed” nonlocal nonlinear Schrödinger equations, both of which have localized pulses as special solutions. Recent research has shown that mode-locked lasers are also described by similar equations. These systems are variants of the classical nonlinear Schrödinger equation, appropriately modified to include terms which model gain, loss and spectral filtering that are present in the laser cavity. To study their remarkable properties, a computational method is introduced to find localized waves in nonlinear optical systems governed by these equations.