Photonic Dirac cavities with spatially varying mass term

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Photonics
• Condensed Matter Physics

Background:

• Photonics offers a powerful platform for simulating relativistic quantum phenomena.
• Emulating relativistic effects in photonic systems is an active area of research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate relativistic-like trapping in a photonic system with Dirac-like dispersion.
• To characterize the trapped modes, energy levels, and orbitals using optical imaging.
• To explore the potential for new nanophotonic devices and topological light sources.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of photonic cavities with spatially inhomogeneous mass terms.
• Optical imaging in real and momentum space to characterize photonic modes.
• Excitation of modes using pseudo-spin-polarized boundary states.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated relativistic-like trapping and Dirac-like dispersion.
• Characterized a hierarchy of photonic modes analogous to atomic orbitals with unique symmetries (pseudo-particle-hall, spin degeneracy).
• Observed topological charge leading to angular momentum in radiative profiles.
• Showcased directional excitation of modes by pseudo-spin-polarized boundary states.

Conclusions:

• The photonic system successfully emulates relativistic phenomena, exhibiting pseudo-relativistic orbitals.
• The fabricated cavities host modes with characteristics analogous to atomic orbitals, including topological properties.
• This work provides a foundation for developing advanced nanophotonic devices, spin-full resonators, and topological light sources compatible with integrated photonics.