Inhomogeneous mass trap for dark-state polaritons in atomic media
Ding-An Chen, Kai-You Huang, Chun-Yen Hsu +3 more
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.
quant-pharXiv:2603.18451•Physical Review Research•Mar 20, 2026•0 citations