Solitons in nondegenerate bistable systems

Soliton-like elementary excitations in bistable systems with nondegenerate equilibrium positions are considered. Models of specific physical systems, which can be described on the basis of this approach by a single Hamiltonian, are discussed. A detailed analysis of continuum equations of motion demonstrates the existence in such systems both of nontopological solitons participating in energy transfer and of topological solitons responsible for transitions between different equilibrium positions (transfer of a state). The results of a computer simulation are compared with the results of analytic investigations.