arXiv subjects

Hrvoje Buljan

Publications and source records attributed to Hrvoje Buljan.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

An exactly solvable model for anyons with non-Abelian flux

We present an exactly solvable model for synthetic anyons carrying non-Abelian flux. The model corresponds to a two-dimensional electron gas in a magnetic field with a specific spin interaction term, which allows only fully aligned spin states in the ground state; the ground state subspace is thus two-fold degenerate. This system is perturbed with identical solenoids carrying a non-Abelian gauge potential. We explore dynamics of the ground state as these solenoids are adiabatically braided and show they behave as anyons with a non-Abelian flux. Such a system represents a middle ground between the ordinary Abelian anyons and the fully non-Abelian anyons.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Nonlinear control of photonic higher-order topological bound states in the continuum

Higher-order topological insulators (HOTIs) are recently discovered topological phases, possessing symmetry-protected corner states with fractional charges. An unexpected connection between these states and the seemingly unrelated phenomenon of bound states in the continuum (BICs) was recently unveiled. When nonlinearity is added to a HOTI system, a number of fundamentally important questions arise. For example, how does nonlinearity couple higher-order topological BICs with the rest of the system, including continuum states? In fact, thus far BICs in nonlinear HOTIs have remained unexplored. Here, we demonstrate the interplay of nonlinearity, higher-order topology, and BICs in a photonic platform. We observe topological corner states which, serendipitously, are also BICs in a laser-written second-order topological lattice. We further demonstrate nonlinear coupling with edge states at a low nonlinearity, transitioning to solitons at a high nonlinearity. Theoretically, we calculate the analog of the Zak phase in the nonlinear regime, illustrating that a topological BIC can be actively tuned by both focusing and defocusing nonlinearities. Our studies are applicable to other nonlinear HOTI systems, with promising applications in emerging topology-driven devices.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

Topological phenomena demonstrated in photorefractive photonic lattices

Topological photonics has attracted widespread research attention in the past decade due to its fundamental interest and unique manner in controlling light propagation for advanced applications. Paradigmatic approaches have been proposed to achieve topological phases including topological insulators in a variety of photonic systems. In particular, photonic lattices composed of evanescently coupled waveguide arrays have been employed conveniently to explore and investigate topological physics. In this article, we review our recent work on demonstration of topological phenomena in reconfigurable photonic lattices established by site-to-site cw-laser-writing or multiple-beam optical induction in photorefractive nonlinear crystals. We focus on the study of topological states realized in the celebrated one-dimensional Su-Schrieffer-Heeger lattices, including nonlinear topological edge states and gap solitons, nonlinearity-induced coupling to topological edge states, and nonlinear control of non-Hermitian topological states. In the two-dimensional case, we discuss two typical examples: universal mapping of momentum-space topological singularities through Dirac-like photonic lattices and realization of real-space nontrivial loop states in flatband photonic lattices. Our work illustrates how photorefractive materials can be employed conveniently to build up various synthetic photonic microstructures for topological studies, which may prove relevant and inspiring for exploration of fundamental phenomena in topological systems beyond photonics.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

Dynamically Emerging Topological Phase Transitions in Nonlinear Interacting Soliton Lattices

We demonstrate dynamical topological phase transitions in evolving Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) lattices made of interacting soliton arrays, which are entirely driven by nonlinearity and thereby exemplify emergent nonlinear topological phenomena. The phase transitions occur from topologically trivial-to-nontrivial phase in periodic succession with crossovers from topologically nontrivial-to-trivial regime. The signature of phase transition is gap-closing and re-opening point, where two extended states are pulled from the bands into the gap to become localized topological edge states. Crossovers occur via decoupling of the edge states from the bulk of the lattice.

nlin.PS↗

arXiv2020

Valley-dependent wavepacket self-rotation and Zitterbewegung in symmetry-broken honeycomb lattices

The toolbox quantities used for manipulating the flow of light include typically amplitude, phase, and polarization. Pseudospins, such as those arising from valley degrees of freedom in photonic structures, have recently emerged as an excellent candidate for this toolbox, in parallel with rapid development of spintronics and valleytronics in condensed-matter physics. Here, by employing symmetry-broken honeycomb photonic lattices, we demonstrate valley-dependent wavepacket self-rotation manifested in spiraling intensity patterns, which occurs without any initial orbital angular momentum. Theoretically, we show that such wavepacket self-rotation is induced by the Berry phase and results in Zitterbewegung oscillations. The "center-of-mass" of the wavepacket oscillates at a gap-dependent frequency, while the helicity of self-rotation is valley-dependent, that is, correlated with the Berry curvature. Our results lead to new understanding of the venerable Zitterbewegung phenomenon from the perspective of topology and are readily applicable on other platforms such as two-dimensional Dirac materials and ultracold atoms.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2020

Nonlinear control of PT-symmetry and non-Hermitian topological states

Advances in topological photonics and non-Hermitian optics have drastically changed our perception on how interdisciplinary concepts may empower unprecedented applications. Bridging the two areas could uncover the reciprocity between topology and non-Hermiticity in complex systems. So far, such endeavors have focused mainly on linear-optics regime. Here, we establish a nonlinear non-Hermitian topological platform for control of parity-time (PT) symmetry and topological edge states. Experimentally, we demonstrate that optical nonlinearity effectively modulates the gain and loss of a topological interface waveguide in a non-Hermitian Su-Schrieffer-Heeger lattice, leading to switching between PT and non-PT-symmetric regimes accompanied by destruction and restoration of topological zero modes. Theoretically, we examine the fundamental issue of the interplay between two antagonistic effects: the sensitivity close to exceptional points and the robustness of non-Hermitian topological modes. Realizing single-channel control of global PT-symmetry via local nonlinearity may herald new possibilities for light manipulation and unconventional device applications.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2020

Berry phase for a Bose gas on a one-dimensional ring

We study a system of strongly interacting one-dimensional (1D) bosons on a ring pierced by a synthetic magnetic flux tube. By the Fermi-Bose mapping, this system is related to the system of spin-polarized non-interacting electrons confined on a ring and pierced by a solenoid (magnetic flux tube). On the ring there is an external localized delta-function potential barrier $V(ϕ)=g δ(ϕ-ϕ_0)$. We study the Berry phase associated to the adiabatic motion of delta-function barrier around the ring as a function of the strength of the potential $g$ and the number of particles $N$. The behavior of the Berry phase can be explained via quantum mechanical reflection and tunneling through the moving barrier which pushes the particles around the ring. The barrier produces a cusp in the density to which one can associate a missing charge $Δq$ (missing density) for the case of electrons (bosons, respectively). We show that the Berry phase (i.e., the Aharonov-Bohm phase) cannot be identified with the quantity $Δq/\hbar \oint \mathbf{A}\cdot d\mathbf{l}$. This means that the missing charge cannot be identified as a (quasi)hole. We point out to the connection of this result and recent studies of synthetic anyons in noninteracting systems. In addition, for bosons we study the weakly-interacting regime, which is related to the strongly interacting electrons via Fermi-Bose duality in 1D systems.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2020

Nontrivial coupling of light into a defect: the interplay of nonlinearity and topology

The flourishing of topological photonics in the last decade was achieved mainly due to developments in linear topological photonic structures. However, when nonlinearity is introduced, many intriguing questions arise. For example, are there universal fingerprints of underlying topology when modes are coupled by nonlinearity, and what can happen to topological invariants during nonlinear propagation? To explore these questions, here we experimentally demonstrate nonlinearity-induced coupling to topologically protected edge states using a photonic platform, and theoretically develop a general framework for interpreting the mode-coupling dynamics in nonlinear topological systems. Performed in laser-written photonic Su-Schrieffer-Heeger lattices, our experiments reveal nonlinear coupling of light into a nontrivial edge or interface defect channel otherwise not permissible due to topological protection. Our theory explains well all the observations. Furthermore, we introduce the concepts of inherited and emergent nonlinear topological phenomena, and a protocol capable of unveiling the interplay of nonlinearity and topology. These concepts are applicable for other nonlinear topological systems, either in higher dimensions or beyond our photonic platform.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2020

Modulation instability in the nonlinear Schrödinger equation with a synthetic magnetic field: gauge matters

We theoretically investigate the phenomenon of modulation instability for systems obeying nonlinear Schrödinger equation, which are under the influence of an external homogeneous synthetic magnetic field. For an initial condition, the instability is detected numerically by comparing dynamics with and without a small initial perturbation; the perturbations are characterized in a standard fashion by wavevectors in momentum space. We demonstrate that the region of (in)stability in momentum space, as well as time-evolution in real space, for identical initial conditions, depend on the choice of the gauge (i.e., vector potential) used to describe the homogeneous synthetic magnetic field. This superficially appears as if the gauge invariance is broken, but this is not true. When the system is evolved from an identical initial condition in two different gauges, it is equivalent to suddenly turning on the synthetic magnetic field at $t=0$. This gives rise, via Faraday's law, to an initial instantaneous kick of a synthetic electric field to the wavepacket, which can differ for gauges yielding an identical uniform magnetic field at $t>0$.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2019

Universal momentum-to-real-space mapping of topological singularities

Topological properties of materials, as manifested in the intriguing phenomena of quantum Hall effect and topological insulators, have attracted overwhelming transdisciplinary interest in recent years. Topological edge states, for instance, have been realized in versatile systems including electromagnetic-waves. Typically, topological properties are revealed in momentum space, using concepts such as Chern number and Berry phase. Here, we demonstrate a universal mapping of the topology of Dirac-like cones from momentum space to real space. We evince the mapping by exciting the cones in photonic honeycomb (pseudospin-1/2) and Lieb (pseudospin-1) lattices with vortex beams of topological charge l, optimally aligned for a chosen pseudospin state s, leading to direct observation of topological charge conversion that follows the rule of l to l+2s. The mapping is theoretically accounted for all initial excitation conditions with the pseudospin-orbit interaction and nontrivial Berry phases. Surprisingly, such a mapping exists even in a deformed lattice where the total angular momentum is not conserved, unveiling its topological origin. The universality of the mapping extends beyond the photonic platform and 2D lattices: equivalent topological conversion occurs for 3D Dirac-Weyl synthetic magnetic monopoles, which could be realized in ultracold atomic gases and responsible for mechanism behind the vortex creation in electron beams traversing a magnetic monopole field.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2019

Synthetic anyons in noninteracting systems

Synthetic anyons can be implemented in a noninteracting many-body system, by using specially tailored localized (physical) probes, which supply the demanded nontrivial topology in the system. We consider the Hamiltonian for noninteracting electrons in two-dimensions (2D), in a uniform magnetic field, where the probes are external solenoids with a magnetic flux that is a fraction of the flux quantum. The Hamiltonian could also be implemented in an ultracold (fermionic) atomic gas in 2D, in a uniform synthetic magnetic field, where the probes are lasers giving rise to synthetic solenoid gauge potentials. We find analytically and numerically the ground state of this system when only the lowest Landau level states are occupied. It is shown that the ground state is anyonic in the coordinates of the probes. We show that these synthetic anyons cannot be considered as emergent quasiparticles. The fusion rules of synthetic anyons are discussed for different microscopic realizations of the fusion process.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Synthesis and Observation of Non-Abelian Gauge Fields in Real Space

Gauge fields, real or synthetic, are crucial for understanding and manipulation of physical systems. The associated geometric phases can be measured, for example, from the Aharonov--Bohm interference. So far, real-space realizations of gauge fields have been limited to Abelian (commutative) ones. Here we report an experimental synthesis of non-Abelian gauge fields in real space and the observation of the non-Abelian Aharonov--Bohm effect with classical waves and classical fluxes. Based on optical mode degeneracy, we break time-reversal symmetry in different manners---via temporal modulation and the Faraday effect---to synthesize tunable non-Abelian gauge fields. The Sagnac interference of two final states, obtained by reversely-ordered path integrals, demonstrates the non-commutativity of the gauge fields. Our work introduces real-space building blocks for non-Abelian gauge fields, relevant for classical and quantum exotic topological phenomena.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2018

Dynamics of weakly interacting bosons in optical lattices with flux

Realization of strong synthetic magnetic fields in driven optical lattices has enabled implementation of topological bands in cold-atom setups. A milestone has been reached by a recent measurement of a finite Chern number based on the dynamics of incoherent bosonic atoms. The measurements of the quantum Hall effect in semiconductors are related to the Chern-number measurement in a cold-atom setup, however, the design and complexity of the two types of measurements are quite different. Motivated by these recent developments, we investigate the dynamics of weakly interacting incoherent bosons in a two-dimensional driven optical lattice exposed to an external force, which provides a direct probe of the Chern number. We consider a realistic driving protocol in the regime of high driving frequency and focus on the role of weak repulsive interactions. We find that interactions lead to the redistribution of atoms over topological bands both through the conversion of interaction energy into kinetic energy during the expansion of the atomic cloud and due to an additional heating. Remarkably, we observe that the moderate atomic repulsion facilitates the measurement by flattening the distribution of atoms in the quasi-momentum space. Our results also show that weak interactions can suppress the contribution of some higher-order non-topological terms in favor of the topological part of the effective model.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2018

The Quantum Hall Effect with Wilczek's charged magnetic flux tubes instead of electrons

Composites formed from charged particles and magnetic flux tubes, proposed by Wilczek, are one model for anyons - particles obeying fractional statistics. Here we propose a scheme for realizing charged flux tubes, in which a charged object with an intrinsic magnetic dipole moment is placed between two semi-infinite blocks of a high permeability ($μ_r$) material, and the images of the magnetic moment create an effective flux tube. We show that the scheme can lead to a realization of Wilczek's anyons, when a two-dimensional electron system, which exhibits the integer quantum Hall effect (IQHE), is sandwiched between two blocks of the high-$μ_r$ material with a temporally fast response (in the cyclotron and Larmor frequency range). The signature of Wilczek's anyons is a slight shift of the resistivity at the plateau of the IQHE. Thus, the quest for high-$μ_r$ materials at high frequencies, which is underway in the field of metamaterials, and the quest for anyons, are here found to be on the same avenue.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Shaping Polaritons to Reshape Selection Rules

The discovery of orbital angular momentum (OAM) in light established a new degree of freedom by which to control not only its flow but also its interaction with matter. Here, we show that by shaping extremely sub-wavelength polariton modes, for example by imbuing plasmon and phonon polariton with OAM, we engineer which transitions are allowed or forbidden in electronic systems such as atoms, molecules, and artificial atoms. Crucial to the feasibility of these engineered selection rules is the access to conventionally forbidden transitions afforded by sub-wavelength polaritons. We also find that the position of the absorbing atom provides a surprisingly rich parameter for controlling which absorption processes dominate over others. Additional tunability can be achieved by altering the polaritonic properties of the substrate, for example by tuning the carrier density in graphene, potentially enabling electronic control over selection rules. Our findings are best suited to OAM-carrying polaritonic modes that can be created in graphene, monolayer conductors, thin metallic films, and thin films of polar dielectrics such as boron nitride. By building on these findings we foresee the complete engineering of spectroscopic selection rules through the many degrees of freedom in the shape of optical fields.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2017

Ultra-light Å-scale Optimal Optical Reflectors

High-reflectance in many state-of-the-art optical devices is achieved with noble metals. However, metals are limited by losses, and for certain applications, by their high mass density. Using a combination of ab initio and optical transfer matrix calculations, we evaluate the behavior of graphene-based Å-scale metamaterials and find that they could act as nearly-perfect reflectors in the mid-long wave infrared (IR) range. The low density of states for electron-phonon scattering and interband excitations leads to unprecedented optical properties for graphene heterostructures, especially alternating atomic layers of graphene and hexagonal boron nitride, at wavelengths greater than $10~μ$m. At these wavelengths, these materials exhibit reflectivities exceeding 99.7% at a fraction of the weight of noble metals, as well as plasmonic mode confinement and quality factors that are greater by an order of magnitude compared to noble metals. These findings hold promise for ultra-compact optical components and waveguides for mid-IR applications. Moreover, unlike metals, the photonic properties of these heterostructures could be actively tuned via chemical and/or electrostatic doping, providing exciting possibilities for tunable devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Quasimomentum distribution and expansion of an anyonic gas

We point out that the momentum distribution is not a proper observable for a system of anyons in two-dimensions. In view of anyons as Wilczek's composite charged flux-tubes, this is a consequence of the fact that the orthogonal components of the kinetic momentum operator do not commute at the position of a flux tube, and thus cannot be diagonalized in the same basis. As a substitute for the momentum distribution of an anyonic (spatially localized) state, we propose to use the asymptotic single-particle density after expansion of anyons in free space from the state. This definition is identical with the standard one when the statistical parameter approaches that for bosons or fermions. Exact examples of expansion dynamics, which underpin our proposal, and observables that can be used to measure anyonic statistics, are shown.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2016

Dynamical Mechanism of Two-Dimensional Plasmon Launching by Swift Electrons

Launching of surface plasmons by swift electrons has long been utilized in electron-energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) to investigate plasmonic properties of ultrathin, or two-dimensional (2D), electron systems. However, its spatio-temporal process has never been revealed. This is because the impact of an electron will generate not only plasmons, but also photons, whose emission cannot be achieved at a single space-time point, as fundamentally determined from the uncertainty principle. Here, we propose that such a space-time limitation also applies to surface plasmon generation in EELS experiment. On the platform of graphene, we demonstrate within the framework of classical electrodynamics that the launching of 2D plasmons by an electron's impact is delayed after a hydrodynamic splashing-like process, which occurs during the plasmonic "formation time" when the electron traverses the "formation zone." Considering this newly revealed process, we show that previous estimates on the yields of graphene plasmons in EELS have been overestimated.

physics.optics↗