分类: 光学 >> 量子光学 提交时间: 2023-02-23
摘要: Controlling the charge carrier density provides an efficient way to trigger phase transitions and modulate the optoelectronic properties in natural materials. This approach could be used to induce topological transitions in the optical response of photonic systems. Here, we predict a topological transition in the isofrequency dispersion contours of hybrid polaritons supported by a two-dimensional heterostructure consisting of graphene and $\alpha$-phase molybdenum trioxide ($\alpha$-MoO3). By chemically changing the doping level of graphene, we experimentally demonstrate that the contour topology of polariton isofrequency surfaces transforms from open to closed shapes as a result of doping-dependent polariton hybridization. Moreover, by changing the substrate medium for the heterostructure, the dispersion contour can be further engineered into a rather flattened shape at the topological transition, thus supporting tunable polariton canalization and providing the means to locally control the topology. We demonstrate this idea to achieve extremely subwavelength focusing by using a 1.2-$\mu$m-wide silica substrate as a negative refraction lens. Our findings open a disruptive approach toward promising on-chip applications in nanoimaging, optical sensing, and manipulation of nanoscale energy transfer.
分类: 光学 >> 量子光学 提交时间: 2023-02-19
摘要: Weyl semimetals are topological materials whose electron quasiparticles obey the Weyl equation. They possess many unusual properties that may lead to new applications. This is a tutorial review of the optical properties and applications of Weyl semimetals. We review the basic concepts and optical responses of Weyl semimetals, and survey their applications in optics and thermal photonics. We hope this pedagogical text will motivate further research on this emerging topic.
分类: 光学 >> 量子光学 提交时间: 2023-02-19
摘要: Non-Abelian gauge fields give rise to nontrivial topological physics. Here we develop a scheme to create an arbitrary SU(2) lattice gauge field for photons in the synthetic frequency dimension using an array of dynamically modulated ring resonators. The photon polarization is taken as the spin basis to implement the matrix-valued gauge fields. Using a non-Abelian generalization of the Harper-Hofstadter Hamiltonian as a specific example, we show that the measurement of the steady-state photon amplitudes inside the resonators can reveal the band structures of the Hamiltonian, which show signatures of the underlying non-Abelian gauge field. These results provide opportunities to explore novel topological phenomena associated with non-Abelian lattice gauge fields in photonic systems.
分类: 光学 >> 量子光学 提交时间: 2023-02-19
摘要: The synthetic dimension, a research topic of both fundamental significance and practical applications, is attracting increasing attention in recent years. In this paper, we propose a theoretical framework to construct arbitrary synthetic dimensions, or N-boson synthetic lattices, using multiple bosons on one-dimensional lattices. We show that a one-dimensional lattice hosting N indistinguishable bosons can be mapped to a single boson on a N-dimensional lattice with high symmetry. Band structure analyses on this N-dimensional lattice can then be mathematically performed to predict the existence of exotic eigenstates and the motion of N-boson wavepackets. As illustrative examples, we demonstrate the edge states in two-boson Su-Schrieffer-Heeger synthetic lattices without interactions, interface states in two-boson Su-Schrieffer-Heeger synthetic lattices with interactions, and weakly-bound triplon states in three-boson tight-binding synthetic lattices with interactions. The interface states and weakly-bound triplon states have not been thoroughly understood in previous literatures. Our proposed theoretical framework hence provides a novel perspective to explore the multi-boson dynamics on lattices with boson-boson interactions, and opens up a future avenue in the fields of multi-boson manipulation in quantum engineering.
分类: 光学 >> 量子光学 提交时间: 2023-02-19
摘要: The modulation and engineering of the free-electron wave function bring new ingredients to the electron-matter interaction. We study the dynamics of a free-electron passing by a two-level system fully quantum mechanically and emphasize the enhancement of interaction from the modulation of the free-electron wave function. In presence of modulation of the free-electron wave function, we show that the electron energy loss/gain spectrum is greatly enhanced for a coherent initial state of the two-level system, which can function as a probe of the atomic coherence. We further find that distantly separated two-level atoms can be entangled through interacting with the same free electron. For a dilute beam of modulated electrons interacting with the atom, our theory shows the enhanced interaction due to resonant modulation.