Abstract

We have previously observed that dark soliton stripes can exist in the transverse cross-section of a laser beam^1,2 that propagates through a self-defocusing type nonlinear material. This phenomenon allows opportunities to explore fundamentally new types of soliton formations and interactions that are not possible in fibers or waveguides. Owing to the fact that these spatial dark solitons exist in the plane, interactions between non-parallel solitons can be observed. What is more, we have observed soliton branching, where a single soliton splits into two solitons. In addition, soliton termination was also observed in cases when the soliton did not span across the entire beam. These and other fascinating results will be presented.

© 1991 Optical Society of America