Subscribe to the gold package and get unlimited access to Shamra Academy
Register a new userObservation of Parity-Time Symmetry in Optically Induced Atomic Lattices
70
0
0.0
(
0
)
Ask ChatGPT about the research
No Arabic abstract
We experimentally demonstrate PT-symmetric optical lattices with periodical gain and loss profiles in a coherently-prepared four-level N-type atomic system. By appropriately tuning the pertinent atomic parameters, the onset of PT-symmetry breaking is observed through measuring an abrupt phase-shift jump between adjacent gain and loss waveguides. The experimental realization of such readily reconfigurable and effectively controllable PT-symmetric waveguide array structure sets a new stage for further exploiting and better understanding the peculiar physical properties of these non-Hermitian systems in atomic settings.
rate research
Read More
We report on the frst experimental observation of discrete vortex solitons in two-dimensional optically-induced photonic lattices. We demonstrate strong stabilization of an optical vortex by the lattice in a self-focusing nonlinear medium and study the generation of the discrete vortices from a broad class of singular beams.
The exotic physics emerging in non-Hermitian systems with balanced distributions of gain and loss has drawn a great deal of attention in recent years. These systems exhibit phase transitions and exceptional point singularities in their spectra, at which eigen-values and eigen-modes coalesce and the overall dimensionality is reduced. Among several peculiar phenomena observed at exceptional points, an especially intriguing property, with relevant practical potential, consists in the inherently enhanced sensitivity to small-scale perturbations. So far, however, these principles have been implemented at the expenses of precise fabrication and tuning requirements, involving tailored nano-structured devices with controlled distributions of optical gain and loss. In this work, anti-parity-time symmetric phase transitions and exceptional point singularities are demonstrated in a single strand of standard single-mode telecommunication fibre, using a setup consisting of entirely of off-the-shelf components. Two propagating signals are amplified and coupled through stimulated Brillouin scattering, which makes the process non-Hermitian and enables exquisite control over gain and loss. Singular response to small variations around the exceptional point and topological features arising around this singularity are experimentally demonstrated with large precision, enabling robustly enhanced spectral response to small-scale changes in the Brillouin frequency shift. Our findings open exciting opportunities for the exploration of non-Hermitian phenomena over a table-top setup, with straightforward extensions to higher-order Hamiltonians and applications in quantum optics, nanophotonics and sensing.
Parity-time (PT) symmetry in non-Hermitian optical systems promises distinct optical effects and applications not found in conservative optics. Its counterpart, anti-PT symmetry, subscribes another class of intriguing optical phenomena and implies complementary techniques for exotic light manipulation. Despite exciting progress, so far anti-PT symmetry has only been realized in bulky systems or with optical gain. Here, we report an on-chip realization of non-Hermitian optics with anti-PT symmetry, by using a fully-passive, nanophotonic platform consisting of three evanescently coupled waveguides. By depositing a metal film on the center waveguide to introduce strong loss, an anti-PT system is realized. Using microheaters to tune the waveguides refractive indices, striking behaviors are observed such as equal power splitting, synchronized amplitude modulation, phase-controlled dissipation, and transition from anti-PT symmetry to its broken phase. Our results highlight exotic anti-Hermitian nanophotonics to be consolidated with conventional circuits on the same chip, whereby valuable chip devices can be created for quantum optics studies and scalable information processing.
Canonical quantum mechanics postulates Hermitian Hamiltonians to ensure real eigenvalues. Counterintuitively, a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian, satisfying combined parity-time (PT) symmetry, could display entirely real spectra above some phase-transition threshold. Such a counterintuitive discovery has aroused extensive theoretical interest in extending canonical quantum theory by including non-Hermitian but PT-symmetric operators in the last two decades. Despite much fundamental theoretical success in the development of PT-symmetric quantum mechanics, an experimental observation of pseudo-Hermiticity remains elusive as these systems with a complex potential seem absent in Nature. But nevertheless, the notion of PT symmetry has highly survived in many other branches of physics including optics, photonics, AMO physics, acoustics, electronic circuits, material science over the past ten years, and others, where a judicious balance of gain and loss constitutes a PT-symmetric system. Here, although we concentrate upon reviewing recent progress on PT symmetry in optical microcavity systems, we also wish to present some new results that may help to accelerate the research in the area. Such compound photonic structures with gain and loss provide a powerful platform for testing various theoretical proposals on PT symmetry, and initiate new possibilities for shaping optical beams and pulses beyond conservative structures. Throughout this article there is an effort to clearly present the physical aspects of PT-symmetry in optical microcavity systems, but mathematical formulations are reduced to the indispensable ones. Readers who prefer strict mathematical treatments should resort to the extensive list of references. Despite the rapid progress on the subject, new ideas and applications of PT symmetry using optical microcavities are still expected in the future.
Optical nonlinearities in solids reveal information about both the in-plane rotational and out-of-plane inversion symmetries of a crystal. In the van der Waals material hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) both these symmetries and the linear vibrational properties have led to the rich physics of mid-infrared phonon-polaritons. However, the role of strong electron-phonon nonlinearities requires further study. In this work, we investigate both theoretically and experimentally the rich interplay of phonon anharmonicity and symmetry in phonon-polariton mediated nonlinear optics. We show that large enhancements (>30x) of third-harmonic generation occur for incident femtosecond pulses that are resonant with the hBN transverse optical phonons. In addition, we predict and observe large transient sub-picosecond duration second-harmonic signals during resonant excitation, which in equilibrium is forbidden by symmetry. This surprising result indicates that instantaneous crystal inversion symmetry breaking can be optically induced and controlled via phonon interactions by both the power and polarization of the pump laser.
Log in to be able to interact and post comments
comments
Fetching comments
Sign in to be able to follow your search criteria
