Incoherence-assisted mode excitation in non-Hermitian resonant systems

TL;DR

This paper presents a robust method for selective mode excitation in non-Hermitian resonant systems using incoherent light, demonstrated on a silicon photonic platform to excite topological edge states.

Contribution

It introduces incoherence-assisted excitation as a passive, practical approach for topological state preparation in non-Hermitian photonics, eliminating the need for phase control.

Findings

Successfully excited topological edge states in a silicon photonic platform.

Demonstrated robustness of incoherent excitation in non-Hermitian systems.

Broadened the scope of non-Hermitian topological photonics applications.

Abstract

We introduce and experimentally demonstrate an approach for selective mode excitation in non-Hermitian resonant systems using incoherent light. This method eliminates the need for precise phase control that is often required in coherent excitation schemes. Using this technique on a silicon photonic platform with coupled ring resonators, we successfully excite the topological edge state of a non-Hermitian Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model. Our work shows that incoherence-assisted excitation is a robust and passive strategy for topological state preparation, which broadens the scope of non-Hermitian topological photonics thereby providing a practical and experimentally viable tool for selective mode excitation.