Two-dimensional lattice soliton and pattern formation in a cold Rydberg atomic gas with nonlocal self-defocusing Kerr nonlinearity

Abstract

We propose a Rydberg-dressed atomic gas under the condition of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) to realize two-dimensional (2D) optical lattices and achieve nonlocal giant Kerr nonlinearity. We obtain the formation of stable 2D bright lattice solitons that result by the balance of diffraction with negative effective mass and nonlocal self-defocusing Kerr nonlinearity. Moreover, extended optical pattern formations are observed based on the modulation instability (MI). It is interesting to note that the solitons and patterns obtained are strongly influenced by the depth of the potential, the degree of nonlocality, and the strength of the Kerr nonlinearity. The results of our work provide a route for versatile control of laser patterns and solitons, which may have potential applications in optical communications and information processing.