ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a detailed overview of the theory of optical bullets that is due the nonlinear Schrodinger’s equation (NLSE) in multidimensions. It presents an introduction to optical bullets, including their physics. The chapter deals with the mathematical issues of optical bullets, including the structure of the NLSE and its conserved quantities. Formation of optical bullets requires an anomalous dispersive medium where it is possible to achieve exact balance of diffraction and dispersion with optical nonlinearity. Dispersion and diffraction attempt to spread the pulse in longitudinal and transverse directions, respectively. The mathematical model that can describe an optical bullet is either the two- or three-dimensional modified NLSE (mNLSE), depending on whether diffraction is limited to one or two transverse dimensions. Although the mNLSE permits the propagation of stable light bullets, these are not true solitons in a strict mathematical sense.
