Solitons with Periodic Behavior in an SBN:75 Photorefractive Crystal

We study the formation of spatial solitons in an SBN:75 photorefractive crystal by a 532 nm continuous-wave laser beam. The output beam from the crystal cannot be compressed proportionally to the voltage of the applied electric field. Quasi-steady-state spatial solitons are formed instantaneously at a voltage of 900 V. Interestingly, the quasi-steady-state solitons exhibit a periodic behavior consisting of formation/broken/reformation cycles. If we increase the input intensity of the soliton beam but keep the same signal-to-background intensity ratio, the solitons stay for a longer time in the quasi-steady state and a longer period of soliton formation/broken/reformation cycle is also observed.