The bright prospects of optical solitons after 50 years

The idea of temporal solitons in optical fibres as a means to compensate for the chromatic dispersion-induced temporal broadening of pulses via the intensity-dependent refractive index of silica (the Kerr effect) was introduced by Hasegawa and Tappert in a paper that was submitted on 12 April 1973. In this Perspective we present a brief historical overview of how this prediction developed in light of other technological developments made through the decades, followed by an extensive forward-looking discussion on the most exciting opportunities in soliton research.