arXiv subjects

Brijesh Kumar

Publications and source records attributed to Brijesh Kumar.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Deterministic Single-Photon Emitter Arrays in Hexagonal Boron Nitride by Carbon-Assisted Focused Ion Beam Engineering

The realization of on-chip photonic circuits requires scalable and deterministic single-photon emitters (SPEs) at room temperature, which remain a challenge in van der Waals materials. In this work, we report a novel three-step fabrication process for the generation of spatially controlled SPE arrays in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). The process comprises site-selective gallium (Ga) focused ion beam milling, nanoscale conformal carbon deposition over the patterned regions, and subsequent thermal annealing. The synergistic combination of these steps resulted in a site-correlated emitter yield of ($\sim 89\%$) across 100 fabrication sites. Second-order autocorrelation measurements revealed pronounced three-level emitter dynamics where the best emitters exhibited high purity ($g^{(2)}(0)=0.15 \pm 0.09$).To the best of our knowledge, this is the first lithography-free, direct-write approach combining Ga-ion milling, selective carbon engineering, and thermal annealing to deterministically generate \hBN{} \SPE{}s. The reproducibility of the method is validated across multiple independently fabricated samples. These results establish a scalable, lithography-free pathway toward on-demand SPE arrays relevant to integrated quantum photonics.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2026

Optical chirality of membrane metasurfaces with broken in-plane symmetry

We study chiroptical properties of single-layer dielectric membrane metasurfaces with broken in-plane symmetry. In sharp contrast to a common belief that chiral optical phenomena require symmetry breaking in the vertical direction, we show that flat single-layer metasurfaces are capable of strong specific chiral effects. Although the single-layer geometry forbids conventional co-polarized circular dichroism, strong resonant conversion circular dichroism appears to be possible in particular wavelength ranges determined by the spectra of photonic eigenmodes. We explore its origin starting with a $C_4$ rotation-symmetric and in-plane mirror-symmetric membrane metasurface and applying to it various in-plane perturbations. Simultaneously breaking of the in-plane mirror symmetry and lifting the rotation symmetry unlocks resonantly enhanced circular conversion dichroism. We derive selection rules for this effect and trace its origin to eigenmode interference and intercoupling using chiral coupled-mode theory.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2026

Intrinsic chirality of dielectric metasurfaces unlocked by resonant chiral modes

Controlling optical chirality at the subwavelength scales is essential for many applications of nanophotonic structures in polarization optics, sensing, and nonlinear photonics. Achieving a strong chiroptical response in planar dielectric metasurfaces without intrinsically chiral building blocks (or "meta-atoms") remains challenging. The recent theoretical study [ACS Photonics 12, 6717 (2025)] predicted that bilayer metasurfaces with rotated C$_4$-symmetric apertures can exhibit pronounced chiral response originating from resonant chiral photonic modes realizing maximum chirality under the mode strong coupling. That observation uncovers a novel mechanism of metasurface chirality. Here, we confirm experimentally this novel concept and demonstrate resonantly enhanced circular dichroism in the near-infrared frequency range. We fabricate a free-standing silicon membrane metasurface that is nominally achiral. When out-of-plane symmetry is broken by a thin PMMA layer, it unlocks and activates a strong chiral response. The observed circular dichroism is explained by the properties of chiral photonic modes, and it is governed by interlayer coupling and symmetry breaking, in agreement with theoretical predictions. These results establish bilayer metasurfaces as a simple and versatile platform for engineering strong mode-induced chirality in compact planar photonic metadevices.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2026

Active Control of Topological Exceptional Points in Non-Hermitian Metasurfaces

Active control and ultrafast switching of non-Hermitian photonic systems are essential for next-generation reconfigurable optical technologies. Here, we demonstrate dynamic temporal manipulation of EPs in the terahertz (THz) regime using optically excited germanium (Ge) as an active medium. By exploiting pump-probe delay as a continuous tuning parameter, we achieve sub-picosecond eigenmode switching (~0.5 ps) and realize a complete time-resolved EP encirclement within ~2 ps, enabling direct observation of topological phase accumulation. At EP, the metasurface exhibits highly asymmetric transmission for circularly polarized light, characteristic of chiral mode response. Furthermore, we observe ultrafast eigenmode switching and topological phase evolution within ~1 ps, achieving >99% cross-polarization modulation depth. The measured results show strong agreement with theoretical modeling, with a high Petermann factor of approximately 10^3, confirming the effectiveness of the design. Our work establishes pump-probe delay time as a dynamical control parameter for EP topology, introducing a new regime of ultrafast non-Hermitian photonics for high-speed switching, enhanced sensitivity, and tunable polarization control in the THz domain.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2026

Nonlinear chiral response governed by meta-atom rotation

Chiral photonics provides powerful routes for controlling the light handedness, yet nonlinear chiral responses are typically associated with intricate three-dimensional systems. Here, we demonstrate that strong nonlinear chirality can emerge and be precisely tuned in planar metasurfaces. We study free-standing membrane metasurfaces composed of periodic lattices of tilted elliptic holes, which preserve out-of-plane mirror symmetry while breaking all in-plane mirror symmetries through the in-plane rotation of the meta-atoms. We demonstrate that optical resonances play a decisive role in governing the nonlinear chiral response, enabling pronounced circular dichroism in third-harmonic generation even when symmetry is broken only in plane. We experimentally reveal strong nonlinear chiral response from the metasurfaces and a striking swapping of nonlinear chiral channels for complementary meta-atom rotation angles. This behaviour arises from the interplay between lattice symmetry and meta-atom orientation, which controls the symmetry of the resonant modes and the resulting nonlinear selection rules. Our results establish meta-atom rotation as a powerful mechanism for engineering nonlinear chiral responses in planar metasurfaces, opening new opportunities for tunable chiral nonlinear metaphotonics devices.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2026

Wakefield amplification via coherent Resonant excitation with two copropagating laser pulses in homogeneous plasma

In the present study, wakefield amplification via coherent resonant excitation using two co propagating laser pulses in a homogeneous plasma is investigated. The proposed scheme is based on linearly polarized leading seed pulse followed by a trailing pulse with identical or controlled parameters, enabling phase synchronized energy transfer to the plasma wave. By systematically varying the temporal pulse widths and inter pulse separation, conditions for resonant enhancement of the wakefield are established. Analytical modelling, supported by particle in cell simulations, reveals that maximum amplification occurs when the pulse separation approaches a quarter of the plasma wavelength, ensuring constructive interference of the plasma oscillations driven by successive pulses. Under optimal conditions, the coherent resonant excitation leads to a significant enhancement of the wakefield amplitude, reaching up to three times of that produced by a single laser pulse. The results demonstrate that precise control of pulse spacing and duration enables efficient energy coupling into plasma waves, providing a robust pathway for enhanced wakefield generation in laser plasma interaction regimes.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2026

Enhanced wakefield generation in homogeneous plasma via two co-propagating laser pulses

This investigation deals with enhanced plasma wakefield amplitude generated using two co-propagating laser pulses in homogeneous plasma. The configuration consists of a seed pulse followed by a trailing pulse, both linearly polarized and sharing identical laser parameters. The enhancement in wakefield amplitude corresponding to fixed spatial separation is optimized for various pulse widths and intensities of the seed and trailing lasers. Analytical modelling and particle-in-cell simulations reveal that the maximum amplification in wakefield amplitude is obtained when spatial separation equals the plasma wavelength (\lambda_p). The spatial intervals between laser pulses critically influence the wakefield amplification. These findings confirm that the two co-propagating lasers scheme provides a promising route toward stronger plasma wakefield excitation, potentially important for various applications.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2025

Protected Ion Beam Fabrication of Two-Dimensional Transition Metal Dichalcogenides based Photonic Devices

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides are pivotal for next-generation photonic devices due to their exceptional optical properties and strong light-matter interactions. However, their atomic thinness renders them susceptible to damage during nanoscale fabrication. Focused ion beam technology, while offering precise defect engineering for tailoring optoelectronic properties, often induces collateral damage far beyond the target region, compromising device performance. This study addresses the critical challenge of preserving the intrinsic optical characteristics of 2D TMDCs during FIB patterning. We demonstrate that conventional dielectric encapsulation fails to protect 2D TMDCs from gallium ion-induced damage, leading to persistent defects and quenched optical responses in patterned microstructures. In contrast, polymeric encapsulation with PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) effectively mitigates damage by acting as a sacrificial layer that absorbs ion impact, thereby preserving the optical properties of the underlying TMDC. Furthermore, we leverage XeF2-assisted Ga ion beam direct patterning, which significantly reduces collateral damage, minimizes Ga ion implantation, and enables precise anisotropic material removal, yielding ultra-smooth sidewalls critical for high-quality photonic resonators. This combined approach of PMMA encapsulation and XeF2-assisted FIB patterning offers a robust, cost-effective, and scalable single-step fabrication route for integrating 2D TMDCs into high-performance photonic devices, thereby maintaining their intrinsic optical functionality essential for advancing quantum technologies and compact optical circuits.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2025

Evolution of quasiparticle edge states with Hubbard interaction in Rice-Mele chain

We study the behaviour of edge states in Rice-Mele model with Hubbard interaction, U , at half-filling using density matrix renormalization group, exact diagonalization and effective charge dynamics in Kumar representation. For a fixed dimerization, $\delta$, and staggered potential, V , we find by increasing U the quasiparticle edge states in the charge gap to come down in energy from V in the absence of Hubbard interaction to zero energy for U $\approx$ 2V . This presents an uncommon case where repulsion leads to zero-energy edge states. Upon increasing U further, the edge state energy starts increasing again until they are lost in the bulk. However, upon increasing U even further, these edge states reappear in the high energy gap. So, with Hubbard interaction, the edge states in Rice-Mele chain transmigrate from the physical charge gap to a high energy gap.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Probing Dust and PAH Chemistry in Evolved Carbon-Rich Nebulae through Optical and Infrared Observations

This study presents optical and near-infrared photometric observations, alongside mid-infrared spectroscopic data from the ISO SWS instrument, to examine potential correlations between Aromatic Infrared Band (AIB) features and the optical properties of carbon-rich evolved stars. Identifying such correlations can provide valuable constraints on the evolutionary pathways of low- to intermediate-mass stars beyond the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) phase. Photometric measurements in the U, B, V, R, I, J, H, K, and L bands were obtained for five well-known carbon-rich objects at various post-AGB or planetary nebula (PN) stages: CRL 2688, PN M 2-43, NGC 7027, BD${+}$30${^\circ}$3639, and AFGL 2132. Our analysis reveals that all five objects exhibit prominent AIB features; however, their spectral profiles show notable variation. These differences are attributed to variations in the chemical composition and physical conditions of the surrounding circumstellar material. In particular, the 3.28$\mu$m polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) feature is detected in all objects except AFGL 2132, indicating a potentially distinct PAH population or environmental condition in its vicinity. Although these sources share broadly similar evolutionary stages, the observed diversity in AIB characteristics underscores the complexity and heterogeneity of their circumstellar environments.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Maximal optical chirality via mode coupling in bilayer metasurfaces

Recent advances in the physics of resonant optical metasurfaces allowed to realize the so-called maximum chirality of planar structures by engineering their geometric parameters. Here we employ bilayer membrane metasurfaces with a square lattice of rotated C$_4$-symmetric holes and uncover very different scenarios of chirality maximization by virtue of strong coupling of photonic eigenmodes of the membranes supplemented by smart engineering of dissipation losses. Our findings substantially expand the class of planar maximally chiral resonant surfaces feasible for widespread nanolithography techniques desired for metaphotonic applications in chiral sensing, chiral light emission, detection and polarization conversion.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2025

Sensing with Broken Symmetry: Revisiting Bound States in the Continuum

Metasurface with bound states in the continuum (BICs) offer exceptional potential for optical sensing due to their inherently high quality (Q) factors. However, the detection of symmetry-protected BICs remains experimentally challenging due to their non-radiative nature. Introducing slight asymmetry makes these resonances observable, though it reduces the Q-factor. In real devices, intrinsic material losses further affect the resonance behavior and sensing performance. While it is often assumed that sensing is optimized at the critical coupling when radiative and non-radiative losses are balanced, the precise conditions for achieving the best limit of detection (LOD) and figure-of-merit (FOM) remain under active discussion. In this work, we experimentally and theoretically investigate BIC-based sensing in the terahertz (THz) range. We demonstrate that the LOD exhibits a non-monotonic dependence on asymmetry, reaching an unexpected optimum where radiative and non-radiative losses are not equal. Moreover, we show that this optimum differs between reflection and transmission sensing schemes. Our results provide practical guidelines for optimizing Q-factor, sensitivity, and signal amplitude together, and contribute to a deeper understanding of the fundamental limits of BIC-based sensing.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2024

Focused ion beam polishing based optimization of high-Q silica microdisk resonators

Whispering gallery mode (WGM) microdisk resonators are promising optical devices that confine light efficiently and enable enhanced nonlinear optical effects. This work presents a novel approach to reduce sidewall roughness in SiO\textsubscript{2} microdisk resonators using focused ion beam (FIB) polishing. The microdisks, with varying diameter ranging from 5 to 20 $\mu$m are fabricated using a multi-step fabrication scheme. However, the etching process introduces significant sidewall roughness, which increases with decreasing microdisk radius, degrading the resonators' quality. To address this issue, a FIB system is employed to polish the sidewalls, using optimized process parameters to minimize Ga ion implantation. White light interferometry measurements reveal a significant reduction in surface roughness from 7 nm to 20 nm for a 5 $\mu$m diameter microdisk, leading to a substantial enhancement in the scattering quality factor (Qss) from $3\times 10^2$ to $2\times 10^6$. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of FIB polishing in improving the quality of microdisk resonators and open up new possibilities for the fabrication of advanced photonic devices.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2024

Theoretical investigation of quantum oscillations of specific heat in Kondo insulators

The electronic specific heat of Kondo insulators in magnetic field is studied for the half-filled Kondo lattice model on simple cubic lattice using a low-temperature theory in Kumar representation. The calculated specific heat is found to show quantum oscillations, which appear soon after the inversion transition and become prominent with decreasing Kondo coupling. Interestingly, it is noted that the field derivative of specific heat closely resembles the magnetic quantum oscillations, and exhibits more pronounced oscillations at finite temperatures than the magnetization itself. An empirical Lifshitz-Kosevich fit with two frequencies given by the theory describes these quantum oscillations reasonably well, where the frequencies correspond to the extremal areas on the surface of charge gap, a remnant of the Fermi surface in the insulating case.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

AT2020ohl: its nature and probable implications

ASASSN-20hx, a.k.a AT2020ohl, is an ambiguous nuclear transient (ANT), which was discovered in the nearby galaxy NGC6297 by the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN). We have investigated the evolution of AT2020ohl using a multi-wavelength dataset to explain the geometry of the system and the energy radiated by it between X-ray and radio wavelengths. Our X-ray, UV/optical, and radio observations of the object jointly clarify the association of AT2020ohl with the nuclear activity of NGC6297. We detected radio counterpart of AT2020ohl 111 days and 313 days after the discovery in Jansky Very Large Array X-band with flux densities 47$\pm$14 $\mu$Jy and 34$\pm$3 $\mu$Jy, respectively. Using multi-wavelength data analysis, we nullify the possibility of associating any stellar disruption process with this event. We found some evidence showing that the host galaxy is a merger remnant, so the possibility of a binary SMBH system can not be ruled out. The central SMBH has a mass of $\sim1.2\times10^7$ M$_\odot$. We propose the accretion disk activity as the origin of AT2020ohl $-$ it is either due to disk accretion event onto the central SMBH or due to the sudden accretion activity in a preexisting accretion disk of the system during the interaction of two SMBHs which became gravitationally bound during a merger process. However, we also admit that with the existing dataset, it is impossible to say definitively, among these two probabilities, which one is the origin of this nuclear transient.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

Transmigration of Edge States with Interaction in Su-Schrieffer-Heeger Chain

The effect of Hubbard and Kondo interactions on the edge states in the half-filled Su-Schrieffer-Heeger chain of electrons is investigated by studying the behaviour of charge quasiparticles using Kumar representation and density matrix renormalization group method. For any finite dimerization of hopping, by increasing the Hubbard interaction, the edge states are found to transmigrate from the physical charge gap to a high energy gap through an intermediate phase without the edge states. The extent of this phase with no edge states shrinks smoothly upon increasing the dimerization. The transmigration of edge states from the charge gap to the high energy gap is also found to occur with Kondo interaction, but through an intermediate phase which itself changes from having no edge states for weak dimerization to having the edge states in the physical as well as the high energy gaps coexisting from moderate to strong dimerization.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Twisted hyperbolic van der Waals crystals for full Stokes mid-infrared polarization detection

Investigating the polarization properties of light in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectrum is crucial for molecular sensing, biomedical diagnostics, and IR imaging system technologies. Traditional methods, limited by bulky size and intricate fabrication, utilize large rotating optics for full Stokes polarization detection, impeding miniaturization and accuracy. Van der Waals materials (vdW) based devices can address these challenges due to their lithography-free fabrication, ease of integration with chip-scale platforms and room-temperature operation. This study introduces a chip-integrated polarimeter device leveraging the in-plane biaxial hyperbolic vdW crystal properties for mid-infrared light manipulation. The spatial division measurement scheme incorporates six meticulously designed linear and circular polarization filters, achieving high extinction ratios exceeding 30 dB and transmittance surpassing 50%, with fabrication tolerance of film thickness up to 100 nm. The proposed device represents a significant advancement in polarimetric detection, providing a compact, cost-effective solution and opens new avenues for on-chip mid-IR polarimetric detection in next-generation ultra-compact optical systems.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2024

Interplay of plasmonics and strain for Hexagonal Boron Nitride emission engineering

In the realm of quantum information and sensing, there has been substantial interest in the single-photon emission associated with defects in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). With the goal of producing deterministic emission centers, in this work, we present a platform for engineering emission in hBN integrated with gold truncated nanocone structures. Our findings highlights that, the activation of emission is due to the truncated gold nanocones. Furthermore, we measure the quantum characteristics of this emission and find that while our system demonstrates support for single-photon emission, the origin of this emission remains ambiguous. Specifically, it is unclear whether the emission arises from defects generated by the induced strain or from alternative defect mechanisms. This uncertainty stems from the fluorescence properties inherent to gold, complicating our definitive attribution of the quantum emission source. To provide a rigorous theoretical foundation, we elucidate the effects of strain via the Kirchhoff-Love theory. Additionally, the enhancements observed due to plasmonic effects are comprehensively explained through the resolution of Maxwell's equations. This study will be useful for the development of deterministic and tunable single photonic sources in two dimensional materials and their integration with plasmonic platforms.

physics.optics↗