Bifurcations and stability of gap solitons in periodic potentials

Soliton in Bose-Einstein condensates with helicoidal spin-orbit coupling under a Zeeman lattice

We investigate the existence and stability of higher-order bright solitons, stripe solitons, and bright-dark solitons in a Bose-Einstein condensate with helicoidal spin-orbit coupling under a Zeeman lattice using numerical methods. The higher-order bright solitons that exist in the first-finite energy gap are stable except near the edge. The stripe solitons with parity-time symmetry and pseudospin-parity symmetry have partially overlapping norm curves; they are stable in the lower edge of the first-finite energy gap. Additionally, the bright-dark solitons discovered in the system not only exist within energy gaps but also embed within energy bands as they have periodic backgrounds. These findings offer insights into the diversity and behavior of solitons within energy bands and contribute to a deeper understanding of their distribution and dynamics.

Vector gap solitons of spin-orbit-coupled Bose-Einstein condensate in honeycomb optical lattices

The combination of the two hot topics of spin-orbit coupling and honeycomb lattices leads to the appearance of fascinating issues. In this paper, we investigate the existence and stability of vector gap solitons of spin-orbit-coupled Bose-Einstein condensates loaded in honeycomb optical lattices. The existence and stability of vector gap solitons are highly sensitive to the properties of interspin and intraspin atomic interaction. We numerically obtain the parametric dependence of the existence of vector gap solitons both in the semi-infinite gap and in the first gap. Since only dynamically stable localized modes in nonlinear systems are likely to be generated and observed in experiments, we examine the stability of the vector gap solitons by using the direct evolution dynamics, and obtain the phase diagram of stable and unstable vector gap solitons on the parameter plane of interspin and intraspin atomic interactions.

Universality of light thermalization in multimoded nonlinear optical systems

Recent experimental studies in heavily multimoded nonlinear optical systems have demonstrated that the optical power evolves towards a Rayleigh-Jeans (RJ) equilibrium state. To interpret these results, the notion of wave turbulence founded on four-wave mixing models has been invoked. Quite recently, a different paradigm for dealing with this class of problems has emerged based on thermodynamic principles. In this formalism, the RJ distribution arises solely because of ergodicity. This suggests that the RJ distribution has a more general origin than was earlier thought. Here, we verify this universality hypothesis by investigating various nonlinear light-matter coupling effects in physically accessible multimode platforms. In all cases, we find that the system evolves towards a RJ equilibrium-even when the wave-mixing paradigm completely fails. These observations, not only support a thermodynamic/probabilistic interpretation of these results, but also provide the foundations to expand this thermodynamic formalism along other major disciplines in physics.

Bright and dark solitons in the systems with strong light-matter coupling: Exact solutions and numerical simulations

We theoretically study bright and dark solitons in an experimentally relevant hybrid system characterized by strong light-matter coupling. We find that the corresponding two-component model supports a variety of coexisting moving solitons including bright solitons on zero and nonzero background and dark-gray and gray-gray solitons. The solutions are found in the analytical form by reducing the two-component problem to a single stationary equation with cubic-quintic nonlinearity. All found solutions coexist under the same set of the model parameters, but, in a properly defined linear limit, approach different branches of the polariton dispersion relation for linear waves. Bright solitons with zero background feature an oscillatory-instability threshold which can be associated with a resonance between the edges of the continuous spectrum branches. "Half-topological" dark-gray and nontopological gray-gray solitons are stable in wide parametric ranges below the modulational instability threshold, while bright solitons on the constant-amplitude pedestal are unstable.

Intrinsical localization of both topological (anti-kink) envelope and gray (black) gap solitons of the condensed bosons in deep optical lattices

By developing quasi-discrete multiple-scale method combined with tight-binding approximation, a novel quadratic Riccati differential equation is first derived for the soliton dynamics of the condensed bosons trapped in the optical lattices. For a lack of exact solutions, the trial solutions of the Riccati equation have been analytically explored for the condensed bosons with various scattering length a_s. When the lattice depth is rather shallow, the results of sub-fundamental gap solitons are in qualitative agreement with the experimental observation. For the deeper lattice potentials, we predict that in the case of a_s>0, some novel intrinsically localized modes of symmetrical envelope, topological (kink) envelope, and anti-kink envelope solitons can be observed within the bandgap in the system, of which the amplitude increases with the increasing lattice spacing and (or) depth. In the case of a_s<0, the bandgap brings out intrinsically localized gray or black soliton. This well provides experimental protocols to realize transformation between the gray and black solitons by reducing light intensity of the laser beams forming optical lattice.

Solitary wave formation under the interplay between spatial inhomogeneity and nonlocality

The presence of spatial inhomogeneity in a nonlinear medium restricts the formation of solitary waves (SW) on a discrete set of positions, whereas a nonlocal nonlinearity tends to smooth the medium response by averaging over neighboring points. The interplay of these antagonistic effects is studied in terms of SW formation and propagation. Formation dynamics is analyzed under a phase-space approach and analytical conditions for the existence of either discrete families of bright SW or continuous families of kink SW are obtained in terms of Melinikov's method. Propagation dynamics are studied numerically and cases of stable and oscillatory propagation as well as dynamical transformation between different types of SW are shown. The existence of different types and families of SW in the same configuration, under appropriate relations between their spatial width and power with the inhomogeneity and the nonlocality parameters, suggests an advanced functionality of such structures that is quite promising for applications.

Localized dark solitons and vortices in defocusing media with spatially inhomogeneous nonlinearity

Recent studies have demonstrated that defocusing cubic nonlinearity with local strength growing from the center to the periphery faster than r^{D}, in space of dimension D with radial coordinate r, supports a vast variety of robust bright solitons. In the framework of the same model, but with a weaker spatial-growth rate ∼r^{α} with α≤D, we test here the possibility to create stable localized continuous waves (LCWs) in one-dimensional (1D) and 2D geometries, localized dark solitons (LDSs) in one dimension, and localized dark vortices (LDVs) in two dimensions, which are all realized as loosely confined states with a divergent norm. Asymptotic tails of the solutions, which determine the divergence of the norm, are constructed in a universal analytical form by means of the Thomas-Fermi approximation (TFA). Global approximations for the LCWs, LDSs, and LDVs are constructed on the basis of interpolations between analytical approximations available far from (TFA) and close to the center. In particular, the interpolations for the 1D LDS, as well as for the 2D LDVs, are based on a deformed-tanh expression, which is suggested by the usual 1D dark-soliton solution. The analytical interpolations produce very accurate results, in comparison with numerical findings, for the 1D and 2D LCWs, 1D LDSs, and 2D LDVs with vorticity S=1. In addition to the 1D fundamental LDSs with the single notch and 2D vortices with S=1, higher-order LDSs with multiple notches are found too, as well as double LDVs, with S=2. Stability regions for the modes under consideration are identified by means of systematic simulations, the LCWs being completely stable in one and two dimensions, as they are ground states in the corresponding settings. Basic evolution scenarios are identified for those vortices that are unstable. The settings considered in this work may be implemented in nonlinear optics and in Bose-Einstein condensates.

Solitons and their stability in the nonlocal nonlinear Schrödinger equation with PT-symmetric potentials

We report localized nonlinear modes of the self-focusing and defocusing nonlocal nonlinear Schrödinger equation with the generalized PT-symmetric Scarf-II, Rosen-Morse, and periodic potentials. Parameter regions are presented for broken and unbroken PT-symmetric phases of linear bounded states and the linear stability of the obtained solitons. Moreover, we numerically explore the dynamical behaviors of solitons and find stable solitons for some given parameters.

Gap solitons in Rabi lattices

We introduce a two-component one-dimensional system, which is based on two nonlinear Schrödinger or Gross-Pitaevskii equations (GPEs) with spatially periodic modulation of linear coupling ("Rabi lattice") and self-repulsive nonlinearity. The system may be realized in a binary Bose-Einstein condensate, whose components are resonantly coupled by a standing optical wave, as well as in terms of the bimodal light propagation in periodically twisted waveguides. The system supports various types of gap solitons (GSs), which are constructed, and their stability is investigated, in the first two finite bandgaps of the underlying spectrum. These include on- and off-site-centered solitons (the GSs of the off-site type are additionally categorized as spatially even and odd ones), which may be symmetric or antisymmetric, with respect to the coupled components. The GSs are chiefly stable in the first finite bandgap and unstable in the second one. In addition to that, there are narrow regions near the right edge of the first bandgap, and in the second one, which feature intricate alternation of stability and instability. Unstable solitons evolve into robust breathers or spatially confined turbulent modes. On-site-centered GSs are also considered in a version of the system that is made asymmetric by the Zeeman effect, or by birefringence of the optical waveguide. A region of alternate stability is found in the latter case too. In the limit of strong asymmetry, GSs are obtained in a semianalytical approximation, which reduces two coupled GPEs to a single one with an effective lattice potential.

Stable dipole solitons and soliton complexes in the nonlinear Schrödinger equation with periodically modulated nonlinearity

We develop a general classification of the infinite number of families of solitons and soliton complexes in the one-dimensional Gross-Pitaevskii/nonlinear Schrödinger equation with a nonlinear lattice pseudopotential, i.e., periodically modulated coefficient in front of the cubic term, which takes both positive and negative local values. This model finds direct implementations in atomic Bose-Einstein condensates and nonlinear optics. The most essential finding is the existence of two branches of dipole solitons (DSs), which feature an antisymmetric shape, being essentially squeezed into a single cell of the nonlinear lattice. This soliton species was not previously considered in nonlinear lattices. We demonstrate that one branch of the DS family (namely, which obeys the Vakhitov-Kolokolov criterion) is stable, while unstable DSs spontaneously transform into stable fundamental solitons (FSs). The results are obtained in numerical and approximate analytical forms, the latter based on the variational approximation. Some stable bound states of FSs are found too.

Lattice surface solitons in diffusive nonlinear media driven by the quadratic electro-optic effect

We study theoretically surface lattice solitons driven by quadratic electro-optic effect at the interface between an optical lattice and diffusive nonlinear media with self-focusing and self-defocusing saturable nonlinearity. Surface solitons originating from self-focusing nonlinearity can be formed in the semi-infinite gap, and are stable in whole domain of their existence. In the case of self-defocusing nonlinearity, both surface gap and twisted solitons are predicted in first gap. We discover that surface gap solitons can propagate stably in whole existence domain except for an extremely narrow region close to the Bloch band, and twisted solitons are linearly unstable in the entire existence domain.

Stability of two-dimensional gap solitons in periodic potentials: beyond the fundamental modes

Gross-Pitaevskii or nonlinear-Schrödinger equations with a sinusoidal potential is commonly used to describe nonlinear periodic media, such as photonic lattices in optics and Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) loaded into optical lattices (OLs). Previous studies have shown that the 2D version of this equation, with the self-focusing (SF) nonlinearity, supports stable solitons in the semi-infinite gap. It is known, too, that under both the self-defocusing (SDF) and SF nonlinearities, several families of gap solitons (GSs) exist in finite bandgaps. Here, we investigate the stability of 2D dipole-mode GS families, via the computation of their linear-stability eigenvalues and direct simulations of the perturbed evolution. We demonstrate that, under the SF nonlinearity, one species of dipole GSs is stable in a part of the first finite bandgap, provided that the OL depth exceeds a threshold value, while other dipole and multipole modes are unstable in that case. Bidipole bound states (vertical, horizontal, and diagonal), as well as square- and rhombic-shaped vortices and quadrupoles, built of stable fundamental dipoles, are stable too. Under the SDF nonlinearity, the family of dipole solitons is shown to be stable in a part of the second finite bandgap. Transformations of unstable dipole GSs are studied by means of direct simulations. Direct simulations are also performed to investigate the stability of other GS families, in the first and second bandgaps, under both types of the nonlinearity. In particular, "tripole" solitons, sustained in the second bandgap under the action of the SF nonlinearity, demonstrate stable behavior in the course of long propagation, in a certain region within the bandgap.

Anderson localization in Bragg-guiding arrays with negative defects

We show that Anderson localization is possible in waveguide arrays with periodically spaced defect waveguides having a lower refractive index. Such localization is mediated by Bragg reflection, and it takes place even if diagonal or off-diagonal disorder affects only defect waveguides. For off-diagonal disorder the localization degree of the intensity distributions monotonically grows with increasing disorder. In contrast, under appropriate conditions, increasing diagonal disorder may result in weaker localization.

Vortex families near a spectral edge in the Gross-Pitaevskii equation with a two-dimensional periodic potential

We examine numerically vortex families near band edges of the Bloch wave spectrum for the Gross-Pitaevskii equation with two-dimensional periodic potentials and for the discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation. We show that besides vortex families that terminate at a small distance from the band edges via fold bifurcations, there exist vortex families that are continued all the way to the band edges.

From non-local gap solitary waves to bound states in periodic media

Solitary waves in one-dimensional periodic media are discussed by employing the nonlinear Schrödinger equation with a spatially periodic potential as a model. This equation admits two families of gap solitons that bifurcate from the edges of Bloch bands in the linear wave spectrum. These fundamental solitons may be positioned only at specific locations relative to the potential; otherwise, they become non-local owing to the presence of growing tails of exponentially small amplitude with respect to the wave peak amplitude. Here, by matching the tails of such non-local solitary waves, high-order locally confined gap solitons, or bound states, are constructed. Details are worked out for bound states comprising two non-local solitary waves in the presence of a sinusoidal potential. A countable set of bound-state families, characterized by the separation distance of the two solitary waves, is found, and each family features three distinct solution branches that bifurcate near Bloch-band edges at small, but finite, amplitude. Power curves associated with these solution branches are computed asymptotically for large solitary-wave separation, and the theoretical predictions are consistent with numerical results.

Algebraic bright and vortex solitons in defocusing media

We demonstrate that spatially inhomogeneous defocusing nonlinear landscapes with the nonlinearity coefficient growing toward the periphery as (1+|r|(α)) support one- and two-dimensional fundamental and higher-order bright solitons, as well as vortex solitons, with algebraically decaying tails. The energy flow of the solitons converges as long as nonlinearity growth rate exceeds the dimensionality, i.e., α>D. Fundamental solitons are always stable, while multipoles and vortices are stable if the nonlinearity growth rate is large enough.

Water wave collapses over quasi-one-dimensional nonuniformly periodic bed profiles

Nonlinear water waves interacting with quasi-one-dimensional nonuniformly periodic bed profiles are studied numerically in the deep-water regime with the help of approximate equations for envelopes of the forward and backward waves. Spontaneous formation of localized two-dimensional wave structures is observed in the numerical experiments, which looks essentially as a wave collapse.

Power-dependent reflection, transmission, and trapping dynamics of lattice solitons at interfaces

Surface soliton formation and lattice soliton dynamics at an interface between two inhomogeneous periodic media are studied in terms of an effective particle approach. The global reflection, transmission, and trapping characteristics are obtained in direct analogy to linear Snell's laws for homogeneous media. Interesting dynamics related to soliton power-dependent formation of potential barriers and wells suggest a spatial filtering functionality of the respective structures.

Composition relation between gap solitons and Bloch waves in nonlinear periodic systems

We show with numerical computation and analysis that Bloch waves, at either the center or edge of the Brillouin zone, of a one dimensional nonlinear periodic system can be regarded as infinite chains composed of fundamental gap solitons (FGSs). This composition relation between Bloch waves and FGSs leads us to predict that there are n families of FGSs in the nth band gap of the corresponding linear periodic system, which is confirmed numerically. Furthermore, this composition relation can be extended to construct a class of solutions similar to Bloch waves but with multiple periods.

Water-wave gap solitons: an approximate theory and numerical solutions of the exact equations of motion

It is demonstrated that a standard coupled-mode theory can successfully describe weakly nonlinear gravity water waves in Bragg resonance with a periodic one-dimensional topography. Analytical solutions for gap solitons provided by this theory are in reasonable agreement with numerical simulations of the exact equations of motion for ideal planar potential free-surface flows, even for strongly nonlinear waves. In numerical experiments, self-localized groups of nearly standing water waves can exist up to hundreds of wave periods. Generalizations of the model to the three-dimensional case are also derived.

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of stability and instability dynamics of positive lattice solitons

We present a unified approach for qualitative and quantitative analysis of stability and instability dynamics of positive bright solitons in multidimensional focusing nonlinear media with a potential (lattice), which can be periodic, periodic with defects, quasiperiodic, single waveguide, etc. We show that when the soliton is unstable, the type of instability dynamic that develops depends on which of two stability conditions is violated. Specifically, violation of the slope condition leads to a focusing instability, whereas violation of the spectral condition leads to a drift instability. We also present a quantitative approach that allows one to predict the stability and instability strength.

Power dependent soliton location and stability in complex photonic structures

The presence of spatial inhomogeneity in a nonlinear medium results in the breaking of the translational invariance of the underlying propagation equation. As a result traveling wave soliton solutions do not exist in general for such systems, while stationary solitons are located in fixed positions with respect to the inhomogeneous spatial structure. In simple photonic structures with monochromatic modulation of the linear refractive index, soliton position and stability do not depend on the characteristics of the soliton such as power, width and propagation constant. In this work, we show that for more complex photonic structures where either one of the refractive indices (linear or nonlinear) is modulated by more than one wavenumbers, or both of them are modulated, soliton position and stability depends strongly on its characteristics. The latter results in additional functionality related to soliton discrimination in such structures. The respective power (or width/propagation constant) dependent bifurcations are studied in terms of a Melnikov-type theory. The latter is used for the determination of the specific positions, with respect to the spatial structure, where solitons can be located. A wide variety of cases are studied, including solitons in periodic and quasiperiodic lattices where both the linear and the nonlinear refractive index are spatially modulated. The investigation of a wide variety of inhomogeneities provides physical insight for the design of a spatial structure and the control of the position and stability of a localized wave.

Localized gap-soliton trains of Bose-Einstein condensates in an optical lattice

We develop a systematic analytical approach to study the linear and nonlinear solitary excitations of quasi-one-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensates trapped in an optical lattice. For the linear case, the Bloch wave in the nth energy band is a linear superposition of Mathieu's functions ce_{n-1} and se_{n} ; and the Bloch wave in the nth band gap is a linear superposition of ce_{n} and se_{n} . For the nonlinear case, only solitons inside the band gaps are likely to be generated and there are two types of solitons-fundamental solitons (which is a localized and stable state) and subfundamental solitons (which is a localized but unstable state). In addition, we find that the pinning position and the amplitude of the fundamental soliton in the lattice can be controlled by adjusting both the lattice depth and spacing. Our numerical results on fundamental solitons are in quantitative agreement with those of the experimental observation [B. Eiermann, Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 230401 (2004)]. Furthermore, we predict that a localized gap-soliton train consisting of several fundamental solitons can be realized by increasing the length of the condensate in currently experimental conditions.

Highly nonlinear Bragg quasisolitons in the dynamics of water waves

Finite-amplitude gravity water waves in Bragg resonance with a periodic one-dimensional topography are studied numerically using exact equations of motion for ideal potential free-surface flows. Spontaneous formation of highly nonlinear localized structures is observed in the numerical experiments. These coherent structures consisting of several nearly standing extreme waves are similar in many aspects to the Bragg solitons previously known in nonlinear optics.

Drift instability and tunneling of lattice solitons

We derive an analytic formula for the lateral dynamics of solitons in a general inhomogeneous nonlinear media, and show that it can be valid over tens of diffraction lengths. In particular, we show that solitons centered at a lattice maximum can be "mathematically unstable" but "physically stable." We also derive an analytic upper bound for the critical velocity for tunneling, which is valid even when the standard Peierls-Nabarro potential approach fails.

Solitary waves bifurcated from Bloch-band edges in two-dimensional periodic media

Solitary waves bifurcated from edges of Bloch bands in two-dimensional periodic media are determined both analytically and numerically in the context of a two-dimensional nonlinear Schrödinger equation with a periodic potential. Using multiscale perturbation methods, the envelope equations of solitary waves near Bloch bands are analytically derived. These envelope equations reveal that solitary waves can bifurcate from edges of Bloch bands under either focusing or defocusing nonlinearity, depending on the signs of the second-order dispersion coefficients at the edge points. Interestingly, at edge points with two linearly independent Bloch modes, the envelope equations lead to a host of solitary wave structures, including reduced-symmetry solitons, dipole-array solitons, vortex-cell solitons, and so on-many of which have not been reported before to our knowledge. It is also shown analytically that the centers of envelope solutions can be positioned at only four possible locations at or between potential peaks. Numerically, families of these solitary waves are directly computed both near and far away from the band edges. Near the band edges, the numerical solutions spread over many lattice sites, and they fully agree with the analytical solutions obtained from the envelope equations. Far away from the band edges, solitary waves are strongly localized, with intensity and phase profiles characteristic of individual families.

Long distance stability of gap solitons

We numerically investigate the stability of one- and two-dimensional gap solitons for very long propagation distances both in self-focusing and in self-defocusing nonlinear photonic media. We demonstrate that the existence of stable solitons in the first gap requires much stronger lattices in a self-focusing than in a self-defocusing medium. Moreover, we present a one-dimensional linear stability analysis of the fundamental solitary mode in the first gap considering a self-focusing photorefractive nonlinearity.

Waves in nonlinear lattices: ultrashort optical pulses and Bose-Einstein condensates

The nonlinear Schrödinger equation i (partial differential)(z)A(z,x,t)+(inverted Delta)(2)(x,t)A+[1+m(kappax)]|A|2A=0 models the propagation of ultrashort laser pulses in a planar waveguide for which the Kerr nonlinearity varies along the transverse coordinate x, and also the evolution of 2D Bose-Einstein condensates in which the scattering length varies in one dimension. Stability of bound states depends on the value of kappa=beamwidth/lattice period. Wide (kappa>>1) and kappa=O(1) bound states centered at a maximum of m(x) are unstable, as they violate the slope condition. Bound states centered at a minimum of m(x) violate the spectral condition, resulting in a drift instability. Thus, a nonlinear lattice can only stabilize narrow bound states centered at a maximum of m(x). Even in that case, the stability region is so small that these bound states are "mathematically stable" but "physically unstable."

Lattice solitons in self-defocusing optical media: analytical solutions of the nonlinear Kronig-Penney model

A novel method for obtaining analytical solitary wave solutions of the nonlinear Kronig-Penney model in periodic photonic structures with self-defocusing nonlinearity is applied for providing generic families of solutions corresponding to the gaps of the linear band structure. Characteristic cases are shown to be quite robust under propagation.

Feshbach resonance management of Bose-Einstein condensates in optical lattices

We analyze gap solitons in trapped Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) in optical lattice potentials under Feshbach resonance management. Starting with an averaged Gross-Pitaevsky equation with a periodic potential, we employ an envelope-wave approximation to derive coupled-mode equations describing the slow BEC dynamics in the first spectral gap of the optical lattice. We construct exact analytical formulas describing gap soliton solutions and examine their spectral stability using the Chebyshev interpolation method. We show that these gap solitons are unstable far from the threshold of local bifurcation and that the instability results in the distortion of their shape. We also predict the threshold of the power of gap solitons near the local bifurcation limit.

Soliton dynamics in deformable nonlinear lattices

We describe wave propagation and soliton localization in photonic lattices, which are induced in a nonlinear medium by an optical interference pattern, taking into account the inherent lattice deformations at the soliton location. We obtain exact analytical solutions and identify the key factors defining soliton mobility, including the effects of gap merging and lattice imbalance, underlying the differences with discrete and gap solitons in conventional photonic structures.

Gap solitons in quasiperiodic optical lattices

Families of solitons in one- and two-dimensional (1D and 2D) Gross-Pitaevskii equations with the repulsive nonlinearity and a potential of the quasicrystallic type are constructed (in the 2D case, the potential corresponds to a fivefold optical lattice). Stable 1D solitons in the weak potential are explicitly found in three band gaps. These solitons are mobile, and they collide elastically. Many species of tightly bound 1D solitons are found in the strong potential, both stable and unstable (unstable ones transform themselves into asymmetric breathers). In the 2D model, families of both fundamental and vortical solitons are found and are shown to be stable.

Discrete surface solitons in semi-infinite binary waveguide arrays

We analyze discrete surface modes in semi-infinite binary waveguide arrays, which can support simultaneously two types of discrete solitons. We demonstrate that the analysis of linear surface states in such arrays provides important information about the existence of nonlinear surface modes and their properties. We find numerically the families of both discrete surface solitons and nonlinear Tamm (gap) states and study their stability properties.

Gap solitons supported by optical lattices in photorefractive crystals with asymmetric nonlocality

We address the impact of the asymmetric nonlocal diffusion nonlinearity of gap solitons supported by photorefractive crystals with an imprinted optical lattice. We reveal how the asymmetric nonlocal response alters the domains of existence and the stability of solitons originating from different gaps. We find that in such media gap solitons cease to exist above a threshold of the nonlocality degree. We discuss how the interplay between nonlocality and lattice strength modifies the gap soliton mobility.

Analytical solitary wave solutions of the nonlinear Kronig-Penney model in photonic structures

A phase space method is employed for the construction of analytical solitary wave solutions of the nonlinear Kronig-Penney model in a photonic structure. This class of solutions is obtained under quite generic conditions, while the method is applicable to a large variety of systems. The location of the solutions on the spectral band gap structure as well as on the low dimensional space of system's conserved quantities is studied, and robust solitary wave propagation is shown.

Surface gap solitons

We put forward the existence of surface gap solitons at the interface between uniform media and an optical lattice with defocusing nonlinearity. Such new type of solitons forms when the incident and reflected waves at the interface of the lattice experience Bragg scattering, and feature a combination of the unique properties of both surface waves and gap solitons. We discover that gap surface solitons exist only when the lattice depth exceeds a threshold value, that they can be made completely stable, and that they can form stable bound states.

Defect solitons in photonic lattices

Nonlinear defect modes (defect solitons) and their stability in one-dimensional photonic lattices with focusing saturable nonlinearity are investigated. It is shown that defect solitons bifurcate out from every infinitesimal linear defect mode. Low-power defect solitons are linearly stable in lower bandgaps but unstable in higher bandgaps. At higher powers, defect solitons become unstable in attractive defects, but can remain stable in repulsive defects. Furthermore, for high-power solitons in attractive defects, we found a type of Vakhitov-Kolokolov (VK) instability which is different from the usual VK instability based on the sign of the slope in the power curve. Lastly, we demonstrate that in each bandgap, in addition to defect solitons which bifurcate from linear defect modes, there is also an infinite family of other defect solitons which can be stable in certain parameter regimes.

Soliton mobility in nonlocal optical lattices

We address the impact of nonlocality in the physical features exhibited by solitons supported by Kerr-type nonlinear media with an imprinted optical lattice. We discover that the nonlocality of the nonlinear response can profoundly affect the soliton mobility, hence all the related phenomena. Such behavior manifests itself in significant reductions of the Peierls-Nabarro potential with an increase in the degree of nonlocality, a result that opens the rare possibility in nature of almost radiationless propagation of highly localized solitons across the lattice.