Stabilization of vector soliton complexes in nonlocal nonlinear media

Vector solitons in nonlocal optical media with pseudo spin-orbit-coupling

We numerically investigate the existence and stability of nonlocal vector solitons with pseudo spin-orbit-coupling (SOC). The pseudo SOC is realized by a framework based on the spatial-domain copropagation of two beams with mutually orthogonal polarizations and opposite transverse components of the carrier wave vectors in nonlocal optical media. The numerical results show that there are two kinds of solutions for vector solitons, one is central symmetric, and the other is noncentral symmetric. The solitons may exist below a certain threshold value of the effective SOC strength in the system.

Vector solitons in nonparity-time-symmetric complex potentials

The existence and stability of vector solitons in non-parity-time (PT)-symmetric complex potentials are investigated. We study the vector soliton family, in which the propagation constants of the two components are different. It is found that vector solitons can be stable below and above the phase transition of the non-PT-symmetric complex potentials. Below the phase transition, vector solitons are stable in the low power region. Above the phase transition, there are two continuous stable intervals in the existence region. The profiles of two components of these vector solitons show the asymmetry and we also study the transverse power flow in the two components of these vector solitons in the non-PT-symmetric complex potentials.

Observation of stable-vector vortex solitons

We report on the first experimental observation of stable-vector vortex solitons in nonlocal nonlinear media with a reorientational response, such as nematic liquid crystals. These solitons consist of two co-polarized, mutually trapped beams of different colors, a bright fundamental spatial soliton, and a nonlinear optical vortex. The nonlinear vortex component, which is normally unstable in nonlinear media, is stabilized and confined here by the highly nonlocal refractive potential induced by the soliton.

Vector vortex solitons in nematic liquid crystals

We analyze the existence and stability of two-component vector solitons in nematic liquid crystals for which one of the components carries angular momentum and describes a vortex beam. We demonstrate that the nonlocal, nonlinear response can dramatically enhance the field coupling leading to the stabilization of the vortex beam when the amplitude of the second beam exceeds some threshold value. We develop a variational approach to describe this effect analytically.

Gray spatial solitons in nonlocal nonlinear media

We study gray solitons in nonlocal nonlinear media and show that they are stable and can form bound states. We reveal that the gray soliton velocity depends on the nonlocality degree and that it can be drastically reduced in highly nonlocal media. This is in contrast with the case of local media, where the maximal velocity is dictated solely by the asymptotic soliton amplitude.