Dynamical trapping of light in modulated waveguide lattices

TL;DR

This paper introduces a method to trap light in modulated waveguide lattices by applying a dynamical trapping effect analogous to Kapitza's effect, enabling confinement at various angles.

Contribution

It proposes a novel optical trapping technique using longitudinal modulation of waveguide potentials, extending the classical Kapitza effect to photonic systems.

Findings

Light can be confined at normal and Bragg angles in modulated lattices.

Periodic modulation enables dynamic trapping of optical beams.

The approach extends classical trapping concepts to integrated photonics.

Abstract

A discrete analogue of the dynamical (Kapitza) trapping effect, known for classical and quantum particles in rapidly oscillating potentials, is proposed for light waves in modulated graded-index waveguide lattices. As in the non-modulated waveguide lattice a graded-index potential can confine light at either normal or Bragg angle incidence, periodic modulation of the potential in the longitudinal direction enables to trap optical beams at both normal and Bragg incidence angles.