Nonlinear Aharonov-Bohm Scattering by Optical Vortices

We study linear and nonlinear wave scattering by an optical vortex in a self-defocusing nonlinear Kerr medium. In the linear case, we find a splitting of a plane-wave front at the vortex proportional to its circulation, similar to what occurs in the scattered wave of electrons for the Aharonov-Bohm effect. For larger wave amplitudes, we study analytically and numerically the scattering of a dark-soliton stripe (a nonlinear analog of a small-amplitude wave packet) by a vortex and observe a significant asymmetry of the scattered wave. Subsequently, a wave-front splitting of the scattered wave develops into transverse modulational instability, “unzipping” the stripe into trains of vortices with opposite charges.