ABSTRACT
Kerr-type leaky resonators are distributed couplers. They can be prism or grating couplers, Fabry-Pérot's or multilayer devices all which include a nonlinear medium that exhibits the optical Kerr effect [IX. 1 and IX.2]. One of the key features of the optical Kerr effect is that it gives rise to a light-intensity dependent refractive index, allowing in this way to control light with light [IX.3]. This constitutes a fascinating field of nonlinear optics. The resulting all-optical interactions lead to numerous manifestations ranging from optical bistability to "exotic" behavior such as self-pulsing, chaos, strange pattern, light bullets, etc. The first observations of optical bistability date back to the 1970s [ІХ.4-ІХ.7]. A proper study of these effects requires the development of a spatiotemporal theory of the optical Kerr effect in leaky resonators [IX.8].
