Buccoliero, DanielDesyatnikov, Anton SKrolikowski, WieslawKivshar, Yuri2009-09-242010-12-202009-09-242010-12-20Physical Review Letters 98.5 (2007): 053901/1-40031-90071079-7114http://hdl.handle.net/10440/933http://digitalcollections.anu.edu.au/handle/10440/933We introduce novel classes of higher-order spatial optical solitons in analogy with Laguerre-Gaussian and Hermite-Gaussian linear eigenmodes. We reveal that stable higher-order optical solitons can exist in nonlocal nonlinear media in the various forms of soliton necklaces and soliton matrices. Modulational instability can lead to nontrivial transformations between energetically close solitons with different symmetries through the intermediate states resembling generalized Hermite-Laguerre-Gaussian modes.4 pageshttp://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/index.php "Author can archive pre-print (ie pre-refereeing) … post-print (ie final draft post-refereeing) … [and] publisher's version/PDF. Link to publisher version … [and] Copyright notice required. Publisher's version/PDF can be used on … employers web site." - from SHERPA/RoMEO site (as at 25/02/10). ©2007 The American Physical SocietyKeywords: Eigenvalues and eigenfunctions; Mathematical transformations; Matrix algebra; Nonlinear systems; Optimization; Eigenmodes; Hermite soliton clusters; Nonlinear media; Solitons2007-02-0110.1103/PhysRevLett.98.0539012015-12-08