Delocalization of light in photonic lattices with unbounded potentials

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that wave delocalization can occur in photonic lattices with broad, unbounded potentials, challenging classical expectations and expanding understanding of wave behavior in complex potential landscapes.

Contribution

It introduces a new class of unbounded potentials that induce wave delocalization without requiring quasi-periodicity or specific shapes, supported by photonic lattice experiments.

Findings

Wave delocalization observed in non-quasi-periodic unbounded potentials

Photonic lattices serve as feasible platforms for experimental studies

Broad unbounded potentials can sustain critical states without full localization

Abstract

In classical mechanics, a particle cannot escape from an unbounded potential well. Naively, one would expect a similar result to hold in wave mechanics, since high barriers make tunneling difficult. However, this is not always the case and it is known that wave delocalization can arise in certain models with incommensurate unbounded potentials sustaining critical states, i.e. states neither fully extended nor fully localized. Here we introduce a different and broader class of unbounded potentials, which are not quasi-periodic and do not require any specially-tailored shape, where wave delocalization is observed. The results are illustrated by considering light dynamics in synthetic photonic lattices, which should provide a feasible platform for the experimental observation of wave delocalization in unbounded potentials.