We investigate theoretically the main elements of manipulation of light pulses—strong nonlinear slowing down, trapping, and release on demand—in photorefractive nonlinear media. This includes a study of the slowing-down characteristics, such as delay time, amplification factor, and nonlinear broadening, for different types of photorefractive response and interaction geometries, as well as an analysis of the shape of pulses released after a long storage. The photorefractive manipulation method is shown to be applicable at ambient temperatures, low light intensities, and wide spectral ranges.

• Received 11 February 2008

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.77.063808