Optical simulation of neutrino oscillations in binary waveguide arrays

Area of Science:

• Quantum Optics
• Particle Physics Analogues
• Condensed Matter Theory

Background:

• Neutrino oscillations are a fundamental quantum mechanical phenomenon.
• Simulating neutrino behavior, especially under extreme conditions like in supernovae, is challenging.
• Waveguide arrays offer a platform for optical analogues of quantum systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To theoretically propose and investigate an optical analogue of neutrino oscillations.
• To model neutrino interactions in extreme regimes relevant to astrophysics.
• To explore the potential for observing novel optical phenomena in a photonic simulator.

Main Methods:

• Utilized vertically displaced binary waveguide arrays with modulated refractive index.
• Modeled optical propagation using coupled-mode equations.
• Derived coupled Dirac equations in the continuous limit to describe fermionic particle analogues.

Main Results:

• Successfully simulated neutrino oscillations in a non-interacting regime.
• Predicted the quenching of neutrino oscillations under simulated interaction conditions.
• Identified the existence of topological defects, analogous to neutrino solitons, observable as optical gap solitons.

Conclusions:

• The proposed optical system serves as a viable analogue for studying neutrino oscillations and interactions.
• This photonic simulator provides a unique platform for exploring extreme astrophysical phenomena.
• The predicted observation of optical gap solitons opens new avenues for experimental verification.