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arXiv:2603.18451 · Physical Review Research

Inhomogeneous mass trap for dark-state polaritons in atomic media

Ding-An Chen, Kai-You Huang, Chun-Yen Hsu, Meng-Cheng Xie, Ite A. Yu, Wen-Te Liao

quant-phphysics.atom-phSubmitted Mar 19, 2026• Announced Mar 20, 2026• 0 citations
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Abstract

The generation of a trapping potential for dark-state polaritons in a two-dimensional electromagnetically induced transparency system is theoretically studied. We show that such a trap can arise from a spatially inhomogeneous effective mass of the dark-state polariton. Because this mass inhomogeneity can be engineered by tuning the parameters of the control fields, the motion, spatial profile, and coherent behavior of bound dark-state polaritons can be tailored accordingly. Our results enable spatial controls of optical information and provide a possible route toward realizing Bose-Einstein condensation of dark-state polaritons in a trapping potential.

Journal reference
Phys. Rev. Research 8, L032006 (2026)
DOI
10.1103/g83q-29c9
Comments
4 figures

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