Solitons

Soliton-like beams in highly non-linear materials such as organic polymers are being studied with a view to using them for fast-switching purposes, in devices where the light creates its own guiding channel. This text provides a treatment of the applications of non-linear light pulses in optical fibres and spatial solitons in switching devices. It presents the results of recent research on the subject in an accessible manner and adopts a unified approach to solitons in fibres and the devices which use them.