Spatial patterns in semiconductor lasers

A beam propagating in a planar waveguide exhibits the characteristics of both a fundamental soliton (little change in waist of a 5-/spl mu/m beam; diffraction is compensated by self-focusing nonlinear refraction) and a second-order soliton (lO-/spl mu/m beam focuses to 3 /spl mu/m with side peaks). Thus a semiconductor gain medium in a planar waveguide is almost ideal for the demonstration of fundamental and second-order spatial solitons; it is even a candidate medium for the formation of a light bullet, i.e., a soliton in space and time. >