Abstract

Two-component (vector) spatial solitons are more complicated objects then scalar solitons.^1–3 These are optical beams with two polarization components that influence each other through several physical effects such as self-phase-modulation effect, cross-phase- modulation effect, and four-wave-mixing effect. An interplay between the three above-mentioned effects gives novel features to stationary solutions of this system and is responsible for complicated polarization dynamics of nonstationary beams such as polarization instability.⁴ Recently, Manakov spatial solitons, a special case of a two-component solitons, were observed in AIGaAs planar waveguides.⁵ However, general polarization dynamics of Two-component solitons in real materials, to the best of our knowledge, has not yet been observed.

© 1997 Optical Society of America