Coupled-mode theory for spatial gap solitons in optically induced lattices

We derive two systems of coupled-mode equations for spatial gap solitons in one-dimensional (1D) and quasi-one-dimensional (Q1D) photonic lattices induced by two interfering optical beams in a nonlinear photorefractive crystal. The models differ from the ordinary coupled-mode system (e.g., for the fiber Bragg grating) by saturable nonlinearity and, if expanded to cubic terms, by the presence of four-wave-mixing terms. In the 1D system, solutions for stationary gap solitons are obtained in an implicit analytical form. For the Q1D model and for tilted (“moving”) solitons in both models, solutions are found in a numerical form. The existence of stable tilted solitons in the full underlying model of the photonic lattice in the photorefractive medium is also shown. The stability of gap solitons is systematically investigated in direct simulations, revealing a nontrivial border of instability against oscillatory perturbations. In the Q1D model, two disjointed stability regions are found. The stability border of tilted solitons does not depend on the tilt. Interactions between stable tilted solitons are investigated too. The collisions are, chiefly, elastic, but they may be inelastic close to the instability border.