Observation of non-Markovian Radiative Phenomena in Structured Photonic Lattices

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates an all-optical analog to observe non-Markovian radiation dynamics in structured photonic lattices, revealing how flat band properties enhance light-matter interactions and non-Markovian effects.

Contribution

It introduces a novel photonic lattice platform to simulate and study non-Markovian quantum emitter dynamics in structured reservoirs.

Findings

Flat band properties significantly enhance light-matter coupling.

Non-Markovian radiation dynamics observed in structured photonic lattices.

Lieb lattice exhibits stronger non-Markovian effects compared to square lattice.

Abstract

The spectral structure of a photonic reservoir shapes radiation phenomena for embedded quantum emitters. We implement an all-optical analog to study such an effect, particularly to observe the non- Markovian radiation dynamics of an emitter coupled to two-dimensional structured reservoirs. Its dynamics is simulated by light propagating through a photonic lattice, acting as a reservoir for an adjacent waveguide that mimics a coupled quantum emitter. We study radiation dynamics in square and Lieb lattices under different coupling regimes and observe how the flat band properties of the Lieb lattice significantly enhances light-matter coupling and non-Markovianity. Our platform opens a path for the experimental exploration of single-photon quantum optical phenomena in structured reservoirs to enhance light-matter interactions.