Formation and stability of optical surface waves at the interface between a metal and a photorefractive crystal with drift and diffusion components of the nonlinear response

Peculiarities of the surface wave propagation at the interface between a metal and a photorefractive crystal are considered. The profiles of these waves are determined numerically, and the guiding properties of the interface are studied. The stability of the surface modes is investigated and it is shown that the Vakhitov–Kolokolov criterion can be applied for estimating the stability.