Guiding of Airy beams with optically induced waveguide arrays in the nonlinear crystal

We show theoretically and experimentally that propagation of Airy beams through LiNbO₃ crystal can be control by optically induced waveguides in the crystal. Airy beam acceleration can be reduced to the discrete solitons with a modification of the refractive index. Positive and negative defects can influence the beam self-bending as well as reduction of the beam acceleration. Close to the defect guides, the beam dynamics changes completely: the beams experience a strong repulsion from the negative defect, but forming of simple solitary-like waves with the presence of the positive defect.