Steady-state dark photorefractive screening solitons

We present an experimental study of steady-state dark photorefractive screening solitons trapped in a bulk strontium barium niobate crystal. We compare experimental measurements with theoretical calculations of the soliton properties and find good agreement between theory and experiments. We confirm the shapepreserving behavior of the dark soliton by measuring its beam profile as it propagates throughout a specially cut crystal and by guiding a beam of a different wavelength.