Toni Eichelkraut

Unidirectional invisibility induced by PT-symmetric periodic structures.

Parity-time (PT) symmetric periodic structures, near the spontaneous PT-symmetry breaking point, can act as unidirectional invisible media. In this regime, the reflection from one end is diminished while it is enhanced from the other. Furthermore, the transmission coefficient and phase are indistinguishable from those expected in the absence of a grating. The phenomenon is robust even in the presence of Kerr nonlinearities, and it can also effectively suppress optical bistabilities.

Plasmon enhanced upconversion luminescence near gold nanoparticles–simulation and analysis of the interactions

We investigate plasmon resonances in gold nanoparticles to enhance the quantum yield of upconverting materials. For this purpose, we use a rate equation model that describes the upconversion of trivalent erbium based upconverters. Changes of the optical field acting on the upconverter and the changes to the transition probabilities of the upconverter in the proximity of a gold nanoparticle are calculated using Mie theory and exact electrodynamic theory respectively. With this data, the influence on the luminescence of the upconverter is determined using the rate equation model. The results show that upconversion luminescence can be increased in the proximity of a spherical gold nanoparticle due to the change in the optical field and the modification of the transition rates.

Mobility transition from ballistic to diffusive transport in non-Hermitian lattices

Within all physical disciplines, it is accepted that wave transport is predetermined by the existence of disorder. In this vein, it is known that ballistic transport is possible only when a structure is ordered, and that disorder is crucial for diffusion or (Anderson-)localization to occur. As this commonly accepted picture is based on the very foundations of quantum mechanics where Hermiticity of the Hamiltonian is naturally assumed, the question arises whether these concepts of transport hold true within the more general context of non-Hermitian systems. Here we demonstrate theoretically and experimentally that in ordered time-independent -symmetric systems, which are symmetric under space-time reflection, wave transport can undergo a sudden change from ballistic to diffusive after a specific point in time. This transition as well as the diffusive transport in general is impossible in Hermitian systems in the absence of disorder. In contrast, we find that this transition depends only on the degree of dissipation.

Impact of loss on the wave dynamics in photonic waveguide lattices.

We analyze the impact of loss in lattices of coupled optical waveguides and find that, in such a case, the hopping between adjacent waveguides is necessarily complex. This results not only in a transition of the light spreading from ballistic to diffusive, but also in a new kind of diffraction that is caused by loss dispersion. We prove our theoretical results with experimental observations.

Diffractive optical elements utilized for efficiency enhancement of photovoltaic modules

Common solar cells used in photovoltaic modules feature metallic contacts which partially block the sunlight from reaching the semiconductor layer and reduce the overall efficiency of the modules. Diffractive optical elements were generated in the bulk glass of a photovoltaic module by ultrafast laser irradiation to direct light away from the contacts. Calculations of the planar electromagnetic wave diffraction and propagation were performed using the rigorous coupled wave analysis technique providing quantitative estimations for the potential efficiency enhancement of photovoltaic modules.

Coherent random walks in free space

Two-dimensional continuous time quantum random walks (CTQRW) are physical processes where quantum particles simultaneously evolve in different permissible directions within discrete graphs. In order to force the quantum walkers (QWs) to evolve in such a fashion, one generally requires periodic potentials. Here, we demonstrate that two-dimensional CTQRW can be generated in free space by properly tailoring the initial wave functions. We analytically show that within a certain spatial region the arising probability distribution quantitatively resembles the probability pattern exhibited by a QW traversing a periodic lattice potential. These theoretical predictions were experimentally verified using classical laser light, appropriately shaped by a spatial light modulator. Expanding the presented results to the case of multiple walkers may open new possibilities in quantum information technology using bulk optics.

Correlations of indistinguishable particles in non-Hermitian lattices

A novel approach to investigate the dynamics of indistinguishable particles in non-Hermitian lattice systems is presented, allowing an efficient calculation of quantum correlations between these particles in the presence of losses. Particular attention is paid to quasi-parity-time-symmetric systems, for which we numerically analyze two-particle quantum random walks for a variety of input states. Our results show how in some scenarios coherence is lost, inducing classical random walks, while in others the characteristic signatures of bosonic and fermionic exchange symmetry prevail.

Optimization and control of two-component radially self-accelerating beams

We report on the properties of radially self-accelerating intensity distributions consisting of two components in the angular frequency domain. We show how this subset of solutions, in literature also known as helicon beams, possesses peculiar characteristics that enable a better control over its properties. In this work, we present a step-by-step optimization procedure to achieve the best possible intensity contrast, a distinct rotation rate and long propagation lengths. All points are discussed on a theoretical basis and are experimentally verified.

Radiation-loss management in modulated waveguides

In this work, we discuss the management of radiation loss in photonic waveguides. As an experimental basis, we introduce a new technique of fabricating waveguides with tunable loss, which is particularly useful when implementing non-Hermitian (PT-symmetric) systems. To this end, we employ laser-written waveguides with a transverse sinusoidal modulation, which causes well-controllable radiation losses of almost arbitrary amount. Numerical simulations support our experimental findings. Our study shows that the radiation loss not only depends on the local waveguide curvature but also is influenced by interference effects. As a consequence, the loss is a nonmonotonous function of the bending parameters, such as period length.

Managing radiation loss in photonic waveguides for applications in PT-symmetric systems

We determine the radiation loss for modulated potentials analytically and implement this setting experimentally utilizing laser-written photonic waveguides. We foresee numerous applications, in particular in PT-symmetric systems.