Variational and accessible soliton approximations to multidimensional solitons in highly nonlocal nonlinear media.

We apply the variational approach to solitons in highly nonlocal nonlinear media in D = 1, 2, 3 dimensions. We compare results obtained by the variational approach with those obtained by the accessible soliton approximation, by considering the same system of equations in the same spatial region and under the same boundary conditions. To assess the accuracy of these approximations, we also compare them with the numerical solution of the equations. We discover that the accessible soliton approximation suffers from systematic errors, when compared to the variational approach and the numerical solution. The errors increase with the dimension of the system. The variational highly nonlocal approximation provides more accurate results in any dimension and as such is more appropriate solution than the accessible soliton approximation.

Transverse modulational instabilities of counterpropagating solitons in photorefractive crystals.

We study numerically the counterpropagating vector solitons in SBN:60 photorefractive crystals. A simple theory is provided for explaining the symmetry-breaking transverse instability of these solitons. Phase diagram is produced that depicts the transition from stable counterpropagating solitons to bidirectional waveguides to unstable optical structures. Numerical simulations are performed that predict novel dynamical beam structures, such as the standing-wave and rotating multipole vector solitonic clusters. For larger coupling strengths and/or thicker crystals the beams form unstable self-trapped optical structures that have no counterparts in the copropagating geometry.