Nonlinear fiber optics: its history and recent progress [Invited]

This review begins with an historical introduction to the field of nonlinear fiber optics and then focuses on the propagation of short optical pulses inside optical fibers. The underlying nonlinear Schrodinger equation is used to discuss the nonlinear phenomenon of self-phase modulation that leads to the formation of solitons in the presence of anomalous dispersion. Recent work on supercontinuum generation is reviewed with emphasis on the important nonlinear processes, such as the fission of higher-order solitons and intrapulse Raman scattering. Applications of fiber-based supercontinuum sources are also discussed in diverse areas ranging from biomedical imaging to frequency metrology. The last part describes applications resulting from nonlinear phenomena, such as cross-phase modulation, stimulated Raman scattering, and four-wave mixing. (C) 2011 Optical Society of America