Nonlinearity-enabled localization in driven-dissipative photonic lattices

Recent experimental work has demonstrated the ability to achieve reconfigurable photon localization in lossy photonic lattices by continuously driving them with lasers strategically positioned at specific locations. This localization results from the perfect destructive interference of light emitted from different positions and, because of that, occurs only at very specific frequencies. Here we examine this localization regime in the presence of standard optical Kerr nonlinearities, such as those found in polaritonic lattices, and show that they stabilize driven -dissipative localization in frequencies different from those observed in the linear regime. Moreover, we demonstrate that, contrary to intuition, in most situations this driven -dissipative localization does not enhance nonlinear effects like optical bistabilities, due to a concurrent reduction in overall intensities. Nevertheless, we are able to identify certain parameter regions where nonlinear enhancement is achieved, corresponding to situations where emission from different spots constructively interferes.