Discrete and surface solitons in photonic graphene nanoribbons

TL;DR

This paper investigates light localization and soliton behavior in honeycomb photonic lattices resembling graphene nanoribbons, revealing conditions for localized states and discovering a new form of soliton bistability induced by lattice geometry.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of geometry-induced bistability of solitons in finite honeycomb photonic lattices, expanding understanding of light localization in such structures.

Findings

Conditions for localized states in honeycomb lattices

Discovery of geometry-induced soliton bistability

Impact of lattice topology on soliton properties

Abstract

We analyze localization of light in honeycomb photonic lattices restricted in one dimension which can be regarded as an optical analog of (``armchair'' and ``zigzag'') graphene nanoribbons. We find the conditions for the existence of spatially localized states and discuss the effect of lattice topology on the properties of discrete solitons excited inside the lattice and at its edges. In particular, we discover a novel type of soliton bistability, the so-called geometry-induced bistability, in the lattices of a finite extent.