title: Generation of higher-order optical (2+1)-dimensional spatial vector solitons in a nonlinear anisotropic medium.
abstract: We investigate the generation of higher-order optical vector solitons in two transverse dimensions in anisotropic nonlinear media consisting of an incoherent superposition of a Gaussian beam and a higher-order laser mode with a complex internal modal structure. We demonstrate both numerically and experimentally various examples of these stable self-trapped light structures and show that vortex modes carrying topological charge always decay into multiple-humped structures that remain self trapped during propagation. Furthermore, we demonstrate the mutual stabilization of a triple- and a double-humped transverse light structure leading to the formation of a two-dimensional vector soliton without a stabilizing fundamental Gaussian mode.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Applied Physics, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Corrensstrasse 2-4, D-48149 Münster, Germany. weilnau@uni-muenster.de
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Weilnau
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Denz
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ahles
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stepken
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Motzek
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kaiser