On-Chip Photonic Simulating Band Structures toward Arbitrary-Range Coupled Frequency Lattices

Area of Science:

• Quantum Simulation
• Photonic Integrated Circuits
• Materials Science

Background:

• Photonic simulators offer tunable degrees of freedom for studying physical systems.
• Photonic chips provide a path toward compact and configurable simulators.
• Thin-film lithium niobate's high electro-optic coefficient is ideal for frequency-domain lattices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate and modulate an on-chip resonator for observing band structures.
• To develop a method for simulating arbitrary-range coupling in photonic systems.
• To reduce the high frequencies typically required for on-chip multiharmonic signal generation and detection.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication and periodic modulation of a thin-film lithium niobate on-chip resonator.
• Utilizing modulation rates lower than the resonator linewidth to include multiple lattice points within a single resonant peak.
• Demonstrating simulations of nanotubes with significantly reduced frequency requirements (GHz to MHz).

Main Results:

• Observation of band structures through modulated on-chip resonator.
• Alleviation of difficulties associated with ultrahigh-frequency signals in conventional chip-based simulators.
• Achieved reduction of required frequencies by over 3 orders of magnitude for simulating specific structures.

Conclusions:

• The developed technique offers an effective and feasible scenario for on-chip photonic simulations.
• This approach can bolster the development of compact and configurable photonic simulators.
• The method complements existing techniques by enabling simulations with arbitrary-range coupling at reduced frequencies.