title: Counterpropagating nematicons in bias-free liquid crystals.
abstract: We experimentally investigate the interaction of two counter-propagating spatial optical solitons (nematicons) in bias-free nematic liquid crystals. We demonstrate the existence of vector solitons composed of two nematicons propagating in opposite directions and analyze their stability versus relative distance and input power.We observe the dynamic instability of two counterpropagating nematicons in the form of time-dependent splitting and spatial entanglement.
authors.affiliation: Nonlinear Physics Center, Research School of Physics and Engineering, The Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200, Australia.
authors.forename: Yana V
authors.initials: YV
authors.lastname: Izdebskaya
authors.forename: Vlad G
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: Shvedov
authors.forename: Anton S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Desyatnikov
authors.forename: Wieslaw Z
authors.initials: WZ
authors.lastname: Krolikowski
authors.forename: Milivoj
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Belić
authors.forename: Gaetano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Assanto
authors.forename: Yuri S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kivshar
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D008027:Light; D050866:Liquid Crystals / Q000737:chemistry*; D008956:Models, Chemical; D012031:Refractometry; D012542:Scattering, Radiation