Slowing light with a coupled optomechanical crystal array

TL;DR

This paper investigates how a coupled optomechanical crystal array can be used to control light propagation, enabling slowing and stopping light pulses through engineered polariton band structures.

Contribution

It introduces a method to control polariton band structures in optomechanical arrays for light slowing and stopping applications.

Findings

Polaritons are formed by photon-mechanical interactions.

Band structures can be tuned by system parameters.

Engineered band structures enable light slowing and stopping.

Abstract

We study the propagation of light in a resonator optical waveguide consisting of evanescently coupled optomechanical crystal array. In the strong driving limit, the Hamiltonian of system can be linearized and diagonalized. In this case we obtain the polaritons, which is formed by the interaction of photons and the collective excitation of mechanical resonators. By analyzing the dispersion relations of polaritons, we find that the band structure can be controlled by changing the related parameters. It has been suggested an engineerable band structure can be used to slow and stop light pulses.