Latest developments associated with two currently active and very important theoretical and practical topics in nonlinear optics, namely solitons and fibers, are considered in this volume. Solitons as analytical solutions of nonlinear partial differential equations were established in 1967, and only five years later Hasegawa and Tappert predicted for the first time theoretically that solitons could be generated in a dielectric fiber. In practical terms, this work, pursued mainly at the AT&T Bell Laboratories, points to technological advances allowing for an economic and undistorted propagation of signals which will revolutionize telecommunications. Starting from an elementary level readily accessible to undergraduates, the author, a pioneer in the field, provides a clear and up-to-date exposition of both the theoretical background and the most recent experimental results in this new and rapidly evolving field. This well-written book is well suited for undergraduate or graduate lecture courses, and makes easy reading not only for the researcher but also for the interested physicist, mathematician, and engineer.
