Solitons in interacting Dicke models of coupled cavities with two-level systems

We consider an array of coupled optical cavities, each containing a multi-atom ensemble. We show that the nonlinearity inherent in the cooperative dynamics of the atoms in each ensemble coupled to the respective cavity field allows for the formation of solitary waves. Such a prediction can be tested in state-of-the-art semiconducting photonic-crystal microcavities with embedded impurities.