Multipole-mode surface solitons

Abstract

We discover multipole-mode solitons supported by the surface between two distinct periodic lattices imprinted in Kerr-type nonlinear media. Such solitons are possible because the refractive index modulation at both sides of the interface glues together their out-of-phase individual constituents. Remarkably, we find that the new type of solitons may feature highly asymmetric shapes and yet they are stable over wide domains of their existence, a rare property to be attributed to their surface nature.