Accelerated optical solitons in reorientational media with transverse invariance and longitudinally modulated birefringence

We demonstrate that reorientational spatial solitons can curve when propagating in a medium with engineered walk-off along the direction of propagation. In this regard, we employ nematic liquid crystals with molecular anchoring defined by electron-beam lithography and optic axis distribution modulated in the longitudinal direction only, keeping the transverse orientation constant. The experimental results are in remarkably good agreement with a simple modulation theory based on momentum conservation