Elliptical solitons in nonconventionally biased photorefractive crystals

We theoretically predict and experimentally observe the two-dimensional (2-D) bright solitons in a nonconventionally biased strontium barium niobate (SBN) crystal. A theory describing light propagating in an SBN crystal with a bias field along an arbitrary direction is formulated. Then the existence of 2-D bright solitons in such a crystal is numerically verified. By employing digital holography, the index changes induced by Gaussian beams in an SBN crystal under different biasing conditions are visualized. Finally, skewed elliptical solitons are experimentally demonstrated.