Spatial domain interactions between ultraweak optical beams

We have observed spatial interactions between two ultraweak optical beams that are initially collinear and nonoverlapping. The weak beams are steered towards each other by a spatially varying cross-Kerr refractive index waveguide written by a strong laser beam in a three-level coherently prepared atomic medium. After fusing together, the combined beam shows controllable phase-dependent behaviors. This is the first observation of solitonlike interactions between weak beams and can be useful for all-optically tunable beam combining, switching, and gating for weak photonic signals.