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Frontiers of Physics

Photonic graphene with reconfigurable geometric structures in coherent atomic ensembles

Fuqiang Niu, Hengfei Zhang, Jinpeng Yuan, Liantuan Xiao, Suotang Jia, Lirong Wang

Published May 17, 2023• 8 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Photonic graphene, possesses a honeycomb-like geometric structure, provides a superior platform for simulating photonic bandgap, Dirac physics, and topological photonics. Here, the photonic graphene with reconfigurable geometric structures is demonstrated in a 5S1/2–5P3/2–5D5/2 cascade-type 85Rb atomic ensembles. A strong hexagonal-coupling field, formed by the interference of three identical coupling beams, is responsible for optically inducing photonic graphene in atomic vapor. The incident weak probe beam experiences discrete diffraction, and the observed pattern at the output plane of vapor cell exhibits a clear hexagonal intensity distribution. The complete photonic graphene geometries from transversely stretched to longitudinally stretched are conveniently constructed by varying the spatial arrangement of three coupling beams, and the corresponding diffraction patterns are implemented theoretically and experimentally to map these distorted geometric structures. Moreover, the distribution of lattice sites intensity in photonic graphene is further dynamically adjusted by two-photon detuning and the coupling beams power. This work paves the way for further investigation of light transport and graphene dynamics.

DOI
10.1007/s11467-023-1294-2

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Photonic graphene, possesses a honeycomb-like geometric structure, provides a superior platform for simulating photonic bandgap, Dirac physics, and topological photonics. Here, the photonic graphene with reconfigurable geometric structures is demonstrated in a 5S1/2–5P3/2–5D5/2 cascade-type 85Rb atomic ensembles. A strong hexagonal-coupling field, formed by the interference of three identical coupling beams, is responsible for optically inducing photonic graphene in atomic vapor. The incident weak probe beam experiences discrete diffraction, and the observed pattern at the output plane of vapor cell exhibits a clear hexagonal intensity distribution. The complete photonic graphene geometries from transversely stretched to longitudinally stretched are conveniently constructed by varying the spatial arrangement of three coupling beams, and the corresponding diffraction patterns are implemented theoretically and experimentally to map these distorted geometric structures. Moreover, the distribution of lattice sites intensity in photonic graphene is further dynamically adjusted by two-photon detuning and the coupling beams power. This work paves the way for further investigation of light transport and graphene dynamics.
The photonic graphene in atoms not only has the typical photonic band structures but also exhibits controllable optical properties that are difficult to achieve in the natural graphene. Here, the evolution process of discrete diffraction patterns of a photonic graphene, which is constructed through a three-beam interference, is demonstrated experimentally in a 5 S 1/2 − 5 P 3/2 − 5 D 5/2 85 Rb atomic vapor. The input probe beam experiences a periodic refractive index modulation when traveling through the atomic vapor, and the evolution of output patterns with honeycomb, hybrid-hexagonal, and hexagonal geometric profiles is obtained by controlling the experimental parameters of two-photon detuning and the power of the coupling field. Moreover, the Talbot images of such three kinds of periodic structure patterns at different propagating planes are observed experimentally. This work provides an ideal platform to investigate manipulation the propagation of light in artificial photonic lattices with tunable periodically varying refractive index.
We have experimentally demonstrated the realization of an instantaneously reconfigurable Lieb photonic lattice with a flatband in a three-level Λ-type rubidium atomic configuration. Such a coherently controllable Lieb photonic lattice is optically induced by a coupling field possessing a spatially periodic intensity distribution (generated via a spatial light modulator) under the condition of electromagnetically induced transparency. The incident weak Gaussian probe field can experience discrete diffraction and the observed probe beam at the output surface of the medium exhibits the same Lieb pattern, verifying the formation of the refractive index with a Lieb profile inside the atomic vapor cell. The potential wells and the band structure of the Lieb photonic lattice can be effectively manipulated by easily tuning the frequency of the involved laser beams. The current work can promisingly pave the way for exploring the exotic dynamics as well as tunable photonic devices in Lieb photonic lattices.
We experimentally demonstrated the formation of a one-dimensional electromagnetically induced optical lattice in coherently prepared three-level 85Rb Rydberg atomic vapors with electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). The one-dimensional photonic lattice was optically induced by a coupling field with a spatially periodical intensity distribution deriving from the interference of two strong Gaussian beams from the same laser source (~480 nm). Under the Rydberg-EIT condition, the incident weak probe beam can feel a tunable spatially modulated susceptibility, which is verified by the controllable discrete diffraction pattern observed at the output plane of the vapor cell. This investigation not only opens the door for experimentally introducing the strong interaction between Rydberg atoms to govern the beam dynamics in photonic lattices based on atomic coherence but also provides an easily accessible periodic environment for exploring Rydberg-atom physics and related applications.
By taking advantage of the optical induction method, a non-Hermitian photonic graphene lattice is efficiently established inside an atomic vapor cell under the condition of electromagnetically induced transparency. This non-Hermitian structure is accomplished by simultaneously modulating both the real and imaginary components of the refractive index into honeycomb profiles. The transmitted probe field can either exhibit a hexagonal or honeycomb intensity profile when the degree of non-Hermiticity is effectively controlled by the ratio between imaginary and real indices. The experimental realization of such an instantaneously tunable complex honeycomb potential sets a new platform for future experimental exploration of non-Hermitian topological photonics. Also, we demonstrate the Talbot effect of the transmitted probe patterns. Such a self-imaging effect based on a non-Hermitian structure provides a promising route to potentially improve the related applications, such as an all-optical-controllable Talbot–Lau interferometer.
As an optical structure characterized by modulations in both transverse and longitudinal directions, the curved photonic lattice has been widely utilized to mimic the behaviors of electrons that are challenging to observe directly. Within the framework of quantum-optical analogies, such a mimicking approach offers additional degrees of freedom for manipulating the dynamics of light. Here, we report the realization of curved photonic lattices in atomic vapors by employing the phase difference in a two-beam interference configuration. The phase difference is introduced via an electro-optic modulator. A weak Gaussian probe field is sent into the curved photonic lattice to image the constructed structure in the context of electromagnetically induced transparency both experimentally and theoretically. In the case of sinusoidal modulation of the phase difference, the transverse oscillation of the output probe pattern is observed clearly, indicating the instantaneous and accurate control of the curved photonic lattice. It is also found that the modulation frequency can play an important role in synthesizing flat bands. This work not only presents a convenient way for producing curved photonic lattices with reconfigurability, but also puts forward a promising platform to investigate quantum-optical analogies in atomic vapors.
A 2D Kagome photonic lattice possesses special band structures involving a flat band that allows the localization state and Dirac cones that show linear dispersion. Here, we report the construction of an instantaneously reconfigurable electromagnetically induced Kagome lattice in a Λ-type 85 Rb atomic configuration theoretically and experimentally under the condition of electromagnetically induced transparency, which is excited by a weak Gaussian probe field and a strong coupling field with a Kagome intensity profile. The incident Gaussian probe field is discretely diffracted into a Kagome profile inside the atomic vapor cell with a spatially modulated susceptibility, which is induced by the structured coupling field generated by a liquid crystal spatial light modulator. We also explored the dynamical evolution of the probe field inside the Kagome photonic lattice by manipulating systematic parameters. This current work provides an alternative way to design instantaneously reconfigurable Kagome photonic lattices with a simplified experimental configuration. The instantaneous tunability may help to promote the discovery of underlying beam dynamics and the design of tunable devices relying on the properties of Kagome photonic structures.