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Updated: May 18, 2026

Spectral and Angle-Resolved Magneto-Optical Characterization of Photonic Nanostructures
Published on: November 21, 2019
Optical analogues for massless dirac particles and conical diffraction in one dimension
J M Zeuner1, N K Efremidis, R Keil
1Institute of Applied Physics, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Max-Wien-Platz 1, 07743 Jena, Germany.
Abstract:
We demonstrate that light propagating in an appropriately designed lattice can exhibit dynamics akin to that expected from massless relativistic particles as governed by the one-dimensional Dirac equation. This is accomplished by employing a waveguide array with alternating positive and negative effective coupling coefficients, having a band structure with two intersecting minibands. Through this approach optical analogues of massless particle-antiparticle pairs are experimentally realized. One-dimensional conical diffraction is also observed for the first time in this work.
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