Sebabrata Mukherjee

Observation of a Localized Flat-Band State in a Photonic Lieb Lattice

We demonstrate the first experimental realization of a dispersionless state, in a photonic Lieb lattice formed by an array of optical waveguides. This engineered lattice supports three energy bands, including a perfectly flat middle band with an infinite effective mass. We analyze, both experimentally and theoretically, the evolution of well-prepared flat-band states, and show their remarkable robustness, even in the presence of disorder. The realization of flat-band states in photonic lattices opens an exciting door towards quantum simulation of flat-band models in a highly controllable environment.

Experimental observation of anomalous topological edge modes in a slowly driven photonic lattice

Topological quantum matter can be realized by subjecting engineered systems to time-periodic modulations. In analogy with static systems, periodically driven quantum matter can be topologically classified by topological invariants, whose non-zero value guarantees the presence of robust edge modes. In the high-frequency limit of the drive, topology is described by standard topological invariants, such as Chern numbers. Away from this limit, these topological numbers become irrelevant, and novel topological invariants must be introduced to capture topological edge transport. The corresponding edge modes were coined anomalous topological edge modes, to highlight their intriguing origin. Here we demonstrate the experimental observation of these topological edge modes in a 2D photonic lattice, where these propagating edge states are shown to coexist with a quasi-localized bulk. Our work opens an exciting route for the exploration of topological physics in time-modulated systems operating away from the high-frequency regime.

Ultrafast laser inscription of mid-IR directional couplers for stellar interferometry

We report the ultrafast laser fabrication and mid-IR characterization (3.39 μm) of four-port evanescent field directional couplers. The couplers were fabricated in a commercial gallium lanthanum sulfide glass substrate using sub-picosecond laser pulses of 1030 nm light. Straight waveguides inscribed using optimal fabrication parameters were found to exhibit propagation losses of ∼0.8 dB·cm(-1). A series of couplers were inscribed with different interaction lengths, and we demonstrate power-splitting ratios of between 8% and 99% for mid-IR light with a wavelength of 3.39 μm. These results clearly demonstrate that ultrafast laser inscription can be used to fabricate high-quality evanescent field couplers for future applications in astronomical interferometry.

Observation of localized flat-band modes in a quasi-one-dimensional photonic rhombic lattice.

We experimentally demonstrate the photonic realization of a dispersionless flat band in a quasi-one-dimensional photonic lattice fabricated by ultrafast laser inscription. In the nearest neighbor tight binding approximation, the lattice supports two dispersive and one nondispersive (flat) band. We experimentally excite superpositions of flat-band eigenmodes at the input of the photonic lattice and show the diffractionless propagation of the input states due to their infinite effective mass. In the future, the use of photonic rhombic lattices, together with the successful implementation of a synthetic gauge field, will enable the observation of Aharonov-Bohm photonic caging.

Stress-state manipulation in fused silica via femtosecond laser irradiation

Controlling the stress in glass after laser exposure is of prime importance not only for photonics applications, but also for preserving the mechanical integrity of glass components in general. The sub-surface exposure of fused silica to femtosecond laser pulses can induce a permanent and localized modification to the glass structure. In this work, we present evidence that femtosecond laser exposure can be used to continuously tailor the stress in the material, from a tensile to compressive state, as the laser pulse energy is changed. In addition, we demonstrate that this effect can not only be obtained while transitioning between different laser-induced microstructures, but also at low pulse energy, in the laser exposure regime particularly relevant for fabricating waveguides. These results demonstrate that femtosecond laser exposure is a versatile tool for fully controlling the stress landscape in a volume of silica, opening up new technological opportunities, like for instance, direct write stress-free waveguides, direct-write stress-induced birefringence state or mechanically reinforced parts, by locally preloading it.

Observation of robust flat-band localization in driven photonic rhombic lattices

We demonstrate that a flat-band state in a quasi-one-dimensional rhombic lattice is robust in the presence of external drivings along the lattice axis. The lattice was formed by periodic arrays of evanescently coupled optical waveguides, and the external drivings were realized by modulating the paths of the waveguides. We excited a superposition of flat-band eigenmodes at the input and observed that this state does not diffract in the presence of static, as well as high-frequency sinusoidal drivings. This robust localization is due to destructive interference of the analogous wavefunction and is associated with the symmetry in the lattice geometry. We then excited the dispersive bands and observed Bloch oscillations and coherent destruction of tunneling.

Observation of localized ground and excited orbitals in graphene photonic ribbons

We report on the experimental realization of a quasi-one-dimensional photonic graphene ribbon supporting four flat-bands (FBs). We study the dynamics of fundamental and dipolar modes, which are analogous to the s and p orbitals, respectively. In the experiment, both modes (orbitals) are effectively decoupled from each other, implying two sets of six bands, where two of them are completely flat (dispersionless). Using an image generator setup, we excite the s and p FB modes and demonstrate their non-diffracting propagation for the first time. Our results open an exciting route towards photonic emulation of higher orbital dynamics.

Dissipatively coupled waveguide networks for coherent diffusive photonics

A photonic circuit is generally described as a structure in which light propagates by unitary exchange and transfers reversibly between channels. In contrast, the term ‘diffusive’ is more akin to a chaotic propagation in scattering media, where light is driven out of coherence towards a thermal mixture. Based on the dynamics of open quantum systems, the combination of these two opposites can result in novel techniques for coherent light control. The crucial feature of these photonic structures is dissipative coupling between modes, via an interaction with a common reservoir. Here, we demonstrate experimentally that such systems can perform optical equalisation to smooth multimode light, or act as a distributor, guiding it into selected channels. Quantum thermodynamically, these systems can act as catalytic coherent reservoirs by performing perfect non-Landauer erasure. For lattice structures, localised stationary states can be supported in the continuum, similar to compacton-like states in conventional flat-band lattices.Diffusive light propagation represents a valuable additional tool for integrated photonic technologies. As an example, here the authors experimentally demonstrate optical equalisation of coherent light propagating in a femtosecond laser written circuit which simulates a dissipatively-coupled quantum chain.

Ultrafast laser inscribed integrated waveguide components for L-band interferometry

In this paper we report the fabrication and mid-infrared characterization (λ = 3.39 μm) of evanescent field directional couplers. These devices were fabricated using the femtosecond laser direct-writing technique in commercially available Gallium Lanthanum Sulphide (GLS) glass substrates. We demonstrate that the power splitting ratios of the devices can be controlled by adjusting the length of the interaction section between the waveguides, and consequently we demonstrate power splitting ratios of between 8% and 99% for 3.39 μm light. We anticipate that mid-IR beam integrated-optic beam combination instruments based on this technology will be key for future mid-infrared astronomical interferometry, particularly for nulling interferometry and earth-like exoplanet imaging.

State-recycling and time-resolved imaging in topological photonic lattices

Photonic lattices—arrays of optical waveguides—are powerful platforms for simulating a range of phenomena, including topological phases. While probing dynamics is possible in these systems, by reinterpreting the propagation direction as time, accessing long timescales constitutes a severe experimental challenge. Here, we overcome this limitation by placing the photonic lattice in a cavity, which allows the optical state to evolve through the lattice multiple times. The accompanying detection method, which exploits a multi-pixel single-photon detector array, offers quasi-real time-resolved measurements after each round trip. We apply the state-recycling scheme to intriguing photonic lattices emulating Dirac fermions and Floquet topological phases. We also realise a synthetic pulsed electric field, which can be used to drive transport within photonic lattices. This work opens an exciting route towards the detection of long timescale effects in engineered photonic lattices and the realisation of hybrid analogue-digital simulators.Topological effects can be emulated using photonic lattices where the length of a waveguide represents time, which is often limited by fabrication constraints. Here, Mukherjee et al. exploit a single-photon detector array enabled state-recycling scheme to increase the accessible time scale.