Discrete and dipole-mode gap solitons in higher-order nonlinear photonic lattices

We investigate the formation of fundamental discrete solitons and dipole-mode gap solitons in triangular photonic lattices imprinted in photorefractive nonlinear media. These lattices are strongly affected by the photorefractive anisotropy, resulting in orientation-dependent refractive index structures with reduced symmetry. It is demonstrated that two different orientations of the lattice wave enable the formation of fundamental discrete solitons in the total internal reflection gap. Furthermore, it is shown that one lattice orientation additionally supports dipole-mode solitons in the Bragg reflection gap. The experimental results are corroborated by numerical simulations using the full anisotropic model.