The book is devoted to the study of optical patterns and to optical bistability and hysteresis. In its methodology it is at the intersection of investigations in synergetics and modern nonlinear optics. This first monograph on optical patterns addresses researchers as well as students. The author studies the rich class of spatially distributed bistable optical systems, and especially dissipative optical solitons which resemble molecules, crystals or biological objects when combined. The author studies further the inhomogeneities of bistable systems and gives a consistent description of spatial hysteresis. Further topics include diffractive mechanisms for coupling, three-dimensional optical solitons, quantum aspects and optical information processing, lasers with a saturable absorber, non-linear waveguides and fibers with nonlinear gain or losses.

Klappentext

From the reviews: "This book is very well written and contains many important and new original results that certainly play an important role in today's nonlinear optics." Physicalia

Inhalt

1. Introduction to the Physics of Distributed Bistable Systems.- 2. Increasing Absorption Bistability.- 3. Hybrid Bistable Devices.- 4. Driven Nonlinear Interferometers.- 5. Nonlinear Radiation Reflection.- 6. Bistable Laser Schemes.- 7. Conclusion: Comparing Different Types of Optical Patterns.- A. Paraxial and Nonparaxial Radiation Propagation.- B. Constitutive Equations for Medium Nonlinear Polarization.- C. Transverse Structures and Digital Optical Computing.- D. Bistability of the Quantum Anharmonic Oscillator.- E. Transverse Effects for Squeezed States of Light.- References.