Supercharge optical arrays

TL;DR

This paper introduces supercharge optical arrays based on supersymmetric charge operators, enabling the creation of protected zero-energy states that enhance robust light dynamics in optical systems.

Contribution

It systematically applies supersymmetry transformations to design optical arrays with protected zero modes, advancing the control of light in integrated photonic devices.

Findings

Zero-energy states are created below the ground state of super-partner arrays.

Zero modes are protected by chiral symmetry due to supersymmetry.

Applications include robust light propagation in waveguides and resonators.

Abstract

We introduce the notion of a supercharge optical array synthesized according to supersymmetric charge operators. Starting from an arbitrary array, mathematical supersymmetry transformation can be used systematically to create a zero-energy physical state below the ground state of the super-partner array. This zero mode, which is pinned deep in the midgap of the corresponding supercharge array owing to the square-root spectral relationship between a supercharge and a super-Hamiltonian array, is shown to be protected because of the chiral symmetry inherent to a supercharge array. A supercharge array can be used in practical applications to design a discrete optical system of waveguides or coupled resonators where the mid-gap zero mode facilitates robust light dynamics either in spatial or time domain.