Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Advanced Physics Research

Reconfigurable Photonic Lattices Based on Atomic Coherence

Jiaqi Yuan, Shun Ke Liang, Qingsong Yu, Changbiao Li, Yanpeng Zhang, Min Xiao, Zhaoyang Zhang

Published Oct 19, 2024• 8 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract The array of coupled optical waveguides, which is also viewed as a photonic lattice, can exhibit abundant photonic band structures depending on the desired spatial arrangements of involved waveguides. Studies of photonic lattices are usually performed in solid‐state materials, where the required periodic susceptibilities can be achieved by employing the femtosecond laser direct‐writing or optical induction method, and have spawned flourishing achievements in manipulating the behaviors of light. Recently, the concept of electromagnetically induced photonic lattice (EIPL) is proposed under the well‐known electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in coherently prepared multilevel alkali‐metal atomic systems, where the strong coupling beams producing EIT possess spatially periodic intensity profiles. The inherited instantaneous tunability of susceptibility from EIT‐modulated atomic coherence allows for the easy reconfigurability of EIPLs, which gives rise to exotic beam dynamics under such a readily controllable framework. This paper summarizes the historical overview and recent advances of the in situ and all‐optically reconfigurable EIPLs. The Introduction section provides the scheme and formation of the EIPL via atomic coherence. The following sections review the recently demonstrated dynamical properties of light in various 1D and 2D EIPLs and in compound EIPLs built by two coupling fields. The final section gives brief concluding remarks.

DOI
10.1002/apxr.202400082

Related papers

Experimental Realization of Reconfigurable Photonic Lattices in Coherent Rydberg Atomic Vapors

Shun Ke Liang, Qingsong Yu, Xing Lei +4 more

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.

Photonics•Jun 16, 2022•4 citations

Experimental realization of a reconfigurable Lieb photonic lattice in a coherent atomic medium

Shun Ke Liang, Zhenzhi Liu, Shaohuan Ning +2 more

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.

Optics Letters•Jan 4, 2023•8 citations

Optically induced reconfigurable Kagome photonic lattice assisted by a liquid crystal spatial light modulator

Shun Ke Liang, Zhenzhi Liu, Jiawei Yu +4 more

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.

Journal of the Optical Society of America B•May 9, 2023•3 citations

Atomic Coherence and its Potential Applications

Jin Hui Wu, G. C. La Rocca, Jin Yue Gao +1 more

In this chapter, we give a brief review of our recent research works on photonic bandgaps induced by standing-wave (SW) coupling fields in the regime of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). EIT refers to the absorption suppression or elimination of a weak probe going through an atomic ensemble at the presence of a strong coupling, which is a result of laser induced destructive quantum interference. On the other hand, a light signal cannot freely propagate in the media with periodic refractive indices (the so-called photonic crystals) if its carrier frequencies fall inside the photonic bandgaps. Utilizing a SW coupling to attain the periodically modulated refractive index with little absorption, one can establish an induced photonic bandgap with its width and position dynamically tunable. The potential media may be either cold atomic ensembles or solid materials exhibiting defect states, such as Pr3+: Y2SiO5 and diamond containing N-V color centers. We first consider the steady optical responses of the atomic and solid media with dynamically induced bandgaps to a time- independent probe by focusing on the dispersion curves of Bloch wave vectors and the spectra of reflection and transmission. Then, we examine the propagation dynamics of a probe pulse through a cold atomic sample in two different situations where a dynamically induced bandgap exists or not. We find that the SW coupling field can be easily modulated to mold the traveling-light flow and to control the stationary-light generation with quite high flexibility, and thus may have applications in the fields of classical and quantum information processing of optical signals. In performing theoretical simulations, we also demonstrated several different but almost equivalent mathematical methods, i.e. the two-mode approximation method, the transfer-matrix method, and the Maxwell-Liouville equation method, to deal with the problems of SW-EIT. Comparison of these methods is quite helpful to understand the underlying physics of the formation of dynamically induced photonic bandgaps.

BENTHAM SCIENCE PUBLISHERS eBooks•Jan 1, 2009•3 citations

Optical Lattice‐Induced Polarization State Modulation of Vector Vortex Fields

Sijia Hui, Zhiyu Hu, Zhiguo Wang +2 more

Abstract Vector vortex beams, featuring spatially structured polarization states and helical phase fronts, emerge as a critical solution for enhancing optical information capacity beyond the constraints of traditional communication paradigms. In this paper, a coherent modulation strategy is established for creating two dimension (2D) vector vortex far‐field diffraction arrays through light‐atom interactions under electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). A dynamically reconfigurable optical lattice is engineered via interference between a Gaussian‐coupled field and a vortex‐coupled field with adjustable topological charge. The atomic medium, when subjected to this lattice modulation, facilitates the diffraction of probe vector light fields into high‐order vector vortex diffracted spots. This system enables multi‐parameter tuning to significantly enhance diffraction efficiency. Results demonstrate that Comprehensive optimization of coupling field intensity, interference beam power distribution, and frequency detuning significantly enhances the relative diffraction efficiency. Moreover, the polarization state distribution of diffraction fields can be reconfigured by controlling optical lattice topological charges. This atomic medium‐based optical lattice modulation framework offers flexibility in tailoring structured light arrays, bridging fundamental studies of structured light‐matter interactions with advanced applications in high‐dimensional optical encoding, quantum state engineering, and multifunctional optical manipulation systems.

Annalen der Physik•Oct 17, 2025•0 citations

Phase-modulation-induced reconfigurable rotating photonic lattices in atomic vapors

Yutong Shen, Yongping Huang, Jiaqi Yuan +6 more

We propose a method to prepare optically induced rotating hexagonal and honey-comb photonic lattices by employing the phase modulated three-beam interference in atomic vapors with electromagnetically induced transparency. The phase differences among the three beams are dynamically elaborated to synthesize the circular motion (in transverse dimensions) of waveguides in the photonic lattices. Further, we verify this model experimentally in the case of low-speed modulation. A weak Gaussian probe field is sent into the constructed helical photonic lattices to image their structures under electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). The motion trajectories of the sites on the discretized output patterns exhibit repeated circles, advocating the formation of rotating lattices. By introducing phase modulations to involved beams, we provide a continent way for producing transverse motions in waveguide arrays with reconfigurability in rotational direction, radius, and speed. This work looks forward to promising applications in topological photonics with great popularity.

Optics Letters•Sep 23, 2024•2 citations
Abstract The array of coupled optical waveguides, which is also viewed as a photonic lattice, can exhibit abundant photonic band structures depending on the desired spatial arrangements of involved waveguides. Studies of photonic lattices are usually performed in solid‐state materials, where the required periodic susceptibilities can be achieved by employing the femtosecond laser direct‐writing or optical induction method, and have spawned flourishing achievements in manipulating the behaviors of light. Recently, the concept of electromagnetically induced photonic lattice (EIPL) is proposed under the well‐known electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in coherently prepared multilevel alkali‐metal atomic systems, where the strong coupling beams producing EIT possess spatially periodic intensity profiles. The inherited instantaneous tunability of susceptibility from EIT‐modulated atomic coherence allows for the easy reconfigurability of EIPLs, which gives rise to exotic beam dynamics under such a readily controllable framework. This paper summarizes the historical overview and recent advances of the in situ and all‐optically reconfigurable EIPLs. The Introduction section provides the scheme and formation of the EIPL via atomic coherence. The following sections review the recently demonstrated dynamical properties of light in various 1D and 2D EIPLs and in compound EIPLs built by two coupling fields. The final section gives brief concluding remarks.
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.
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.
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.
In this chapter, we give a brief review of our recent research works on photonic bandgaps induced by standing-wave (SW) coupling fields in the regime of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). EIT refers to the absorption suppression or elimination of a weak probe going through an atomic ensemble at the presence of a strong coupling, which is a result of laser induced destructive quantum interference. On the other hand, a light signal cannot freely propagate in the media with periodic refractive indices (the so-called photonic crystals) if its carrier frequencies fall inside the photonic bandgaps. Utilizing a SW coupling to attain the periodically modulated refractive index with little absorption, one can establish an induced photonic bandgap with its width and position dynamically tunable. The potential media may be either cold atomic ensembles or solid materials exhibiting defect states, such as Pr3+: Y2SiO5 and diamond containing N-V color centers. We first consider the steady optical responses of the atomic and solid media with dynamically induced bandgaps to a time- independent probe by focusing on the dispersion curves of Bloch wave vectors and the spectra of reflection and transmission. Then, we examine the propagation dynamics of a probe pulse through a cold atomic sample in two different situations where a dynamically induced bandgap exists or not. We find that the SW coupling field can be easily modulated to mold the traveling-light flow and to control the stationary-light generation with quite high flexibility, and thus may have applications in the fields of classical and quantum information processing of optical signals. In performing theoretical simulations, we also demonstrated several different but almost equivalent mathematical methods, i.e. the two-mode approximation method, the transfer-matrix method, and the Maxwell-Liouville equation method, to deal with the problems of SW-EIT. Comparison of these methods is quite helpful to understand the underlying physics of the formation of dynamically induced photonic bandgaps.
Abstract Vector vortex beams, featuring spatially structured polarization states and helical phase fronts, emerge as a critical solution for enhancing optical information capacity beyond the constraints of traditional communication paradigms. In this paper, a coherent modulation strategy is established for creating two dimension (2D) vector vortex far‐field diffraction arrays through light‐atom interactions under electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). A dynamically reconfigurable optical lattice is engineered via interference between a Gaussian‐coupled field and a vortex‐coupled field with adjustable topological charge. The atomic medium, when subjected to this lattice modulation, facilitates the diffraction of probe vector light fields into high‐order vector vortex diffracted spots. This system enables multi‐parameter tuning to significantly enhance diffraction efficiency. Results demonstrate that Comprehensive optimization of coupling field intensity, interference beam power distribution, and frequency detuning significantly enhances the relative diffraction efficiency. Moreover, the polarization state distribution of diffraction fields can be reconfigured by controlling optical lattice topological charges. This atomic medium‐based optical lattice modulation framework offers flexibility in tailoring structured light arrays, bridging fundamental studies of structured light‐matter interactions with advanced applications in high‐dimensional optical encoding, quantum state engineering, and multifunctional optical manipulation systems.
We propose a method to prepare optically induced rotating hexagonal and honey-comb photonic lattices by employing the phase modulated three-beam interference in atomic vapors with electromagnetically induced transparency. The phase differences among the three beams are dynamically elaborated to synthesize the circular motion (in transverse dimensions) of waveguides in the photonic lattices. Further, we verify this model experimentally in the case of low-speed modulation. A weak Gaussian probe field is sent into the constructed helical photonic lattices to image their structures under electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). The motion trajectories of the sites on the discretized output patterns exhibit repeated circles, advocating the formation of rotating lattices. By introducing phase modulations to involved beams, we provide a continent way for producing transverse motions in waveguide arrays with reconfigurability in rotational direction, radius, and speed. This work looks forward to promising applications in topological photonics with great popularity.