Incoherent solitons in instantaneous response nonlinear media

We show theoretically and experimentally in an optical fiber system that solitons can be spontaneously generated from incoherent light in an instantaneous response nonlinear Kerr medium. The theory reveals that the unexpected existence of these incoherent solitons relies on a phase-locking mechanism, which leads to the emergence of a mutual coherence between the incoherent waves that constitute the soliton.