Abstract

It is shown that low velocity solitons can be launched into periodic nonlinear structures. The velocity of these solitons, which are associated with one of the stopgaps of the photonic bandstructure, can be much lower than the phase velocity in the medium. The concentration of energy in these solitons is quite similar to that which would arise if a defect were introduced into a linear periodic structure, hence our terminology, self-localized light. The solitons are shown to satisfy the nonlinear Schrodinger equation.

© 1989 Optical Society of America