Published in

Optica, Optica, 5(7), p. 506, 2020

DOI: 10.1364/optica.386347

Links

Tools

Export citation

Search in Google Scholar

Guiding and confining of light in a two-dimensional synthetic space using electric fields

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

Full text: Download

Green circle
Preprint: archiving allowed
Green circle
Postprint: archiving allowed
Red circle
Published version: archiving forbidden
Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

Synthetic dimensions provide a promising platform for photonic quantum simulations. Manipulating the flow of photons in these dimensions requires an electric field. However, photons do not have charge and do not directly interact with electric fields. Therefore, alternative approaches are needed to realize electric fields in photonics. One approach is to use engineered gauge fields that can mimic the effect of electric fields and produce the same dynamical behavior. Here, we demonstrate such an electric field for photons propagating in a two-dimensional synthetic space. Generation of electric fields in a two-dimensional synthetic lattice provides the possibility to guide photons and to trap them through the creation of quantum confined structures. We achieve this using a linearly time-varying gauge field generated by direction-dependent phase modulations. We show that the generated electric field leads to Bloch oscillations and the revival of the state after a certain number of steps dependent on the field strength. We measure the probability of the revival and demonstrate a good agreement between the observed values and the theoretically predicted results. Furthermore, by applying a nonuniform electric field, we show the possibility of waveguiding photons. Ultimately, our results open up new opportunities for manipulating the propagation of photons with potential applications in photonic quantum simulations.