Exceptional points for photon pairs bound by nonlinear dissipation in cavity arrays

We theoretically study the dissipative Bose–Hubbard model describing the array of tunneling-coupled cavities with non-conservative photon–photon interaction. The bound two-photon states are formed in this system either in the limited range of the center-of-mass wave vectors or in the full Brillouin zone, depending on the strength of the dissipative interaction. Transition between these two regimes is manifested as an exceptional point in the complex energy spectrum. This improves fundamental understanding of the interplay of non-Hermiticity and interactions in the quantum structures and can potentially be used for on-demand nonlinear light generation in photonic lattices.