Photonic Dirac Waveguides

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel class of photonic Dirac waveguides with pseudo-spin degrees of freedom, enabling advanced control over guided modes and revealing spin-dependent optical phenomena in engineered nanophotonic systems.

Contribution

The work demonstrates the design, fabrication, and experimental validation of optical Dirac waveguides with synthetic gauge potentials and pseudo-spin, expanding control over light propagation beyond conventional waveguides.

Findings

Experimental confirmation of spin-full Dirac waveguides.

Observation of spin-dependent radiative lifetimes and non-Hermitian spin-Hall effect.

Potential for spin-multiplexing and tunable light-matter interactions.

Abstract

The Dirac equation is a paradigmatic model that describes a range of intriguing properties of relativistic spin-1/2 particles, from the existence of antiparticles to Klein tunneling. However, the Dirac-like equations have found application far beyond its original scope, and has been used to comprehend the properties of graphene and topological phases of matter. In the field of photonics, the opportunity to emulate Dirac physics has also enabled topological photonic insulators. In this paper, we demonstrate that judiciously engineered synthetic potentials in photonic Dirac systems can offer physical properties beyond both the elementary and quasi-particles, and topological realms. Specifically, we introduce a new class of optical Dirac waveguides, whose guided electromagnetic modes are endowed with pseudo-spin degree of freedom. Pseudo-spin coupled with the ability to engineer synthetic gauge potentials acting on it, enables control over the guided modes which is unattainable in conventional optical waveguides. In particular, we use a silicon nanophotonic metasurface that supports pseudo-spin degree of freedom as a testing platform to predict and experimentally confirm a spin-full nature of the Dirac waveguides. We also demonstrate that, for suitable trapping potentials, the guided modes exhibit spin-dependent field distributions, which gives rise to their distinct transport and radiative properties. Thereby, the Dirac waveguides manifest spin-dependent radiative lifetimes - the non-Hermitian spin-Hall effect - and open new avenues for spin-multiplexing, controlling characteristics of guided optical modes, and tuning light-matter interactions with photonic pseudo-spins.