2D in-band solitons in PT-symmetric waveguide arrays.

We address two types of two-dimensional (2D) localized solitons in Kerr media with an imprinted quasi-one-dimensional lattice featuring a parity-time (PT) symmetry. Solitary waves originating from the edges of the Bloch bands are stable in their entire existence domains. Purely nonlinear multipeaked states propagate stably in wide parameter windows. Both types of nonlinear waves exist in the finite bandgaps of the corresponding linear system and, cross-continuously, the Bloch band (continuous spectrum) sandwiched between (or neighboring) them. To the best of our knowledge, our findings thus provide the first example of "embedded solitons" in 2D PT periodic systems.