Two-dimensional solitons in conservative and parity-time-symmetric triple-core waveguides with cubic-quintic nonlinearity

Abstract: We analyze a system of three two-dimensional nonlinear Schr\"odinger equations coupled by linear terms and with the cubic-quintic (focusing-defocusing) nonlinearity. We consider two versions of the model: conservative and parity-time ($\mathcal{PT}$) symmetric. These models describe triple-core nonlinear optical waveguides, with balanced gain and losses in the $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric case. We obtain families of soliton solutions and discuss their stability. The latter study is performed using a linear stability analysis and checked with direct numerical simulations of the evolutional system of equations. Stable solitons are found in the conservative and $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric cases. Interactions and collisions between the conservative and $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric solitons are briefly investigated, as well.