Interaction and co-assembly of optical and topological solitons

Solitons attract a great deal of interest in many fields, ranging from optics to fluid mechanics, cosmology, particle physics and condensed matter. However, solitons these very different types rarely coexist interact with each other. Here we develop system that hosts optical coexisting topological solitonic structures localized the molecular alignment field soft birefringent medium. We experimentally demonstrate theoretically explain optomechanical interactions between such solitons, mediated by local transfer momentum light matter nonlocal orientational elasticity liquid-crystal phase used our system. show delicate balance arising contributions force enables facile dynamical control spatial localization solitons. Our findings reveal unusual tractor beams emergent light–matter self-patterning phenomena could aid creating new breeds nonlinear photonic materials devices. Researchers systems which The lead phenomena.