Two-dimensional lattice solitons in polariton condensates with spin-orbit coupling

TL;DR

This paper investigates two-dimensional polariton condensate solitons with spin-orbit coupling and Zeeman splitting in microcavity arrays, revealing stable vortex and fundamental gap solitons with distinct polarization properties.

Contribution

It introduces the existence and stability analysis of multiple families of vortex and fundamental gap solitons in polariton condensates with spin-orbit coupling and Zeeman splitting.

Findings

Four families of vortex solitons with different topological charges are stable.

Two families of fundamental gap solitons are stable, distinguished by polarization dominance.

Spin-orbit and Zeeman effects lift degeneracy and shape soliton profiles.

Abstract

We study two-dimensional fundamental and vortex solitons in polariton condensates with spin-orbit coupling and Zeeman splitting evolving in square arrays of microcavity pillars. Due to repulsive excitonic nonlinearity such states are encountered in finite gaps in the spectrum of the periodic array. Spin-orbit coupling between two polarization components stemming from TE-TM energy splitting of the cavity photons acting together with Zeeman splitting lifts the degeneracy between vortex solitons with opposite topological charges and makes their density profiles different for a fixed energy. This results in formation of four distinct families of vortex solitons with topological charges m=+-1, all of which can be stable. At the same time, only two stable families of fundamental gap solitons characterized by domination of different polarization components are encountered.