Two-dimensional solitons in irregular lattice systems

We compute and study localized nonlinear modes (solitons) in the semi-infinite gap of the focusing two-dimensional nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equation with various irregular lattice-type potentials. The potentials are characterized by large variations from periodicity, such as vacancy defects, edge dislocations, and a quasicrystal structure. We use a spectral fixed-point computational scheme to obtain the solitons. The eigenvalue dependence of the soliton power indicates parameter regions of self-focusing instability; we compare these results with direct numerical simulations of the NLS equation. We show that in the general case, solitons on local lattice maximums collapse. Furthermore, we show that the Nth-order quasicrystal solitons approach Bessel solitons in the large-N limit.