Horizon Instability in the Cross Polarized Bell-Szekeres Spacetime

The quasiregular singularities (horizons) that form in the collision of cross polarized electromagnetic waves are, as in the linear polarized case unstable. The validity of the Helliwell-Konkowski stability conjecture is tested for a number of exact back-reaction cases. In the test electromagnetic case the conjecture fails to predict the correct nature of the singularity while in the scalar field and in the null dust cases the aggrement is justified.