Dissipative soliton in a laser cavity: A novel concept in action

International audienceThe recent concept of a dissipative optical soliton sheds new light for understanding the stability of optical pulses that are generated in passively mode-locked lasers. Considering in these lasers the multiple pulsing regime of operation, the dissipative soliton concept is able to explain the great diversity of interaction behaviours that have been observed experimentally. Among the most spectacular behaviours are the formation of "soliton molecules" and "elastic-type" collisions. The dissipative soliton also explains the existence of complex limit cycles of pulsations within single pulse operation