Engineering photonic band gaps with a waveguide-QED structure containing an atom-polymer array

TL;DR

This paper explores how to engineer and control photonic band gaps in waveguide-QED systems with atom-polymer arrays, enabling manipulation of photon propagation for quantum network applications.

Contribution

It introduces a method to tune photonic band gaps in waveguide-QED systems using atom-polymer arrays with adjustable intra-cell coupling, including multi-gap structures.

Findings

Proper phase delay design modifies band gap properties.

Adjusting intra-cell coupling controls photon propagation.

Multi-gap structures are achievable with larger atom arrays.

Abstract

We investigate the generation and engineering of photonic band gaps in waveguide quantum electrodynamics systems containing periodically arranged atom-polymers. We first consider the configuration of a dimer array coupled to a waveguide. The results show that if the intra- and inter-cell phase delays are properly designed, the center and the width of the band gaps, as well as the dispersion relation of the passbands can be modified by adjusting the intra-cell coupling strength. These manipulations provide ways to control the propagating modes in the waveguide, leading to some interesting effects such as slowing or even stopping a single-photon pulse. Finally, we take the case of the tetramer chain as an example to show that, in the case of a larger number of atoms in each unit cell, tunable multi-gap structures and more sophisticated band-gap engineering can be realized. Our proposal provides efficient ways for photonic band-gap engineering in micro- and nano-quantum systems, which may facilitate the manipulation of photon transport in future quantum networks.