Bistable Bright Optical Spatial Solitons due to Charge Drift and Diffusion of Various Orders in Photovoltaic Photorefractive Media Under Closed-Circuit Conditions

Abstract

Abstract Evolution of bright optical spatial solitons in biased photovoltaic photorefractive (PVPR) medium is investigated in the present work. The space-charge field developed in the medium is comprised of local and nonlocal parts. Lowest order charge drift results in the buildup of the local space-charge field, whereas higher order drift and charge diffusion are responsible for nonlocal field development. The dynamical equation for solitons in the closed circuit PVPR medium is obtained under Akhmanov’s paraxial ray approximation. Conditions for stationary propagation are obtained, and the path of soliton in the medium is examined. The asymmetry in the nonlinear refractive index introduced by nonlocal contribution to the space-charge field causes a soliton to deflect from its straight line path in the medium. The roles of charge diffusion and higher order drift on soliton trajectory are examined.