We demonstrate theoretically and subsequently observe in experiment a novel type of soliton interaction when a pair of closely spaced spatial optical solitons as a whole is made partially incoherent. We explain how the character of the soliton interaction can be controlled by the total partial incoherence, and show a possibility to change the soliton interaction from attractive to repulsive, or vice versa, near a certain threshold in the coherence parameter.
@article{arxiv.nlin/0410055,
title = {Coherence controlled soliton interactions},
author = {Ting-Sen Ku and Ming-Feng Shih and Andrey A. Sukhorukov and Yuri S. Kivshar},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:nlin/0410055},
year = {2007}
}