Modulational instability of incoherently coupled beams in azobenzene-containing polymer with photoisomerization nonlinearity

The modulational instability of two incoherently coupled beams in azobenzene-containing polymer with photoisomerization nonlinearity is investigated analytically and numerically. Our results show that as a precursor to spatial optical soliton formation, modulational instability can be adjusted and controlled by the wavelength combinations of the signal and background beams. We also discuss the dependences of strength of modulational instability on intensities of two signal beams and background beam. These findings make it possible to predict the formation of incoherently coupled soliton pairs in azobenzene-containing polymer.