IOP Publishing Nonlinear Guided Wave Optics: A Testbed for Extreme Waves (IOP Series in Emerging Technologies in Optics and Photonics)

The research on extreme waves is a very active field of research in physical and human sciences, such as hydrodynamics and oceanography, geology, meteorology, biological systems, financial markets, and medical sciences. In the last ten years, extreme or rogue waves have also been observed in nonlinear optics, particularly in the context of nonlinear pulse propagation in optical fibers. Experiments and theory have rapidly progressed on nonlinear optical extreme waves, showing that guided wave nonlinear optics and fiber lasers provide a relatively simple, accessible and controllable test bed for the observations and accurate statistical studies of extreme wave phenomena that obey the same universal rules, which apply to a large ensemble of different physical systems. In spite of substantial and rapid scientific progress in this area, which led to a number important cross-fertilizations between optics and hydrodynamics rogue and extreme wave phenomena (such as the dynamics of modulation instabilities and Peregrine solitions), there is no comprehensive treatment of optical extreme wave research. With introductory material to make the subject area accessible to non-specialists such as graduate and PhD students, and researchers working in other areas where extreme waves are relevant, this book features contributions by prominent scientists in this emerging field. About the Author Stefan Wabnitz obtained the Laurea Degree in Electronics Engineering from the University of Rome "La Sapienza" in 1982, the MS in Electrical Engineering from Caltech in 1983, and the PhD in Applied Electromagnetism from the Italian Ministry of Education in 1988. He was with the Ugo Bordoni Foundation between 1985 and 1996. In 1996 he became full professor in Physics at the University of Burgundy in Dijon, France. Between 1999 and 2003 he was with Alcatel Research and Innovation Labs in France and with Xtera Communications in Texas. Since 2007 he is full professor the Department of Information Engineering of the University of Brescia, Italy. His research activities involve nonlinear propagation effects in optical communications and information processing devices. He is the author and co-author of over 700 international refereed papers, conference presentations, and book chapters. He is the Deputy Editor of Elsevier Optical Fiber Technology, a Fellow member of the Optical Society of America, and senior member of IEEE-Photonics Society.