If you allow me my favorite tool, then I can do it in 31 characters and I don't need to use the awful $& and I don't require that the strings be the same length: 

use mapcar;
sub s2a{mapcar{join"",@_}map[/(.)/g],@_}

[download]

        - tye (but my friends call me "Tye")

In reply to Re: (Golf) Strings-to-Array by tye
in thread (Golf) Strings-to-Array by japhy

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