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Yanpeng Zhang

Publications and source records attributed to Yanpeng Zhang.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Simultaneous creation of multiple vortex-antivortex pairs in momentum space in photonic lattices

Engineering of the orbital angular momentum (OAM) of light due to interaction with photonic lattices reveals rich physics and motivates potential applications. We report the experimental creation of regularly-distributed quantized vortex arrays in momentum space by probing the honeycomb and hexagonal photonic lattices with a single focused Gaussian beam. For the honeycomb lattice, the vortices are associated with Dirac points and mimic the Berry curvature sources. However, we show that the resulting spatial patterns of vortices are strongly defined by the symmetry of the wave packet evolving in the optical lattice but not by lattice topological properties. Our findings reveal the underlying physics by connecting the symmetry and OAM conversion, and provide a simple and efficient method to create regularly-distributed multiple vortices by unstructured light.

physics.optics↗

Hierarchy of Genuine Tripartite Non-Gaussian Entanglement

Triple-photon states generated by three-mode spontaneous parametric down-conversion are the paradigm of unconditional non-Gaussian states, essential assets for quantum advantage. How to fully characterize their non-Gaussian entanglement remains however elusive. We propose here a hierarchy of sufficient and necessary conditions for separability of the broad family of spontaneously-generated three-mode non-Gaussian states. We further derive state-of-the-art conditions for genuine tripartite non-Gaussian entanglement, the strongest class of entanglement. We apply our criteria to triple-photon states revealing that they are fully inseparable and genuinely entangled in moments of order 3n. Our results establish a systematic framework for characterizing the entanglement of triple-photon states and thus fostering their application in quantum information protocols.

quant-ph↗

Atomic Coherence Assisted Multipartite Entanglement Generation with DELC Four-Wave Mixing

Multipartite entanglement plays an important role in quantum information processing and quantum metrology. Here, the dressing-energy-level-cascaded (DELC) four-wave mixing (FWM) processes are proposed to generate all-optical controlled multipartite entanglement within a single device. The entanglement characteristics of the produced states of light are characterized by applying the Duan criterion and the positivity under partial transposition criterion. Moreover, by using an internal dressing field to modulate atomic coherence, multiple quantum coherent channels of FWM are simultaneously constructed, which result in a great extension of entanglement mode number and quantum information capacity. We find that the violation of the entanglement criteria inequalities is coherent-channel dependent, and the produced states can be directly modulated via atomic coherence. Our system can integrate the generation and modulation of the entangled states in one process. It may help provide a compact method for realizing large scale quantum networks.

quant-ph↗

Deterministic relation between optical polarization and lattice symmetry revealed in ion-doped single microcrystals

Rare-earth ions doped crystals are of great significance for micro-sensing and quantum information, whilst the ions in the crystals emit light with spontaneous partial polarization, which is, though believed to be originated from the crystal lattice structure, still lacking a deterministic explanation that can be tested with quantitative accuracy. We report the experimental evidence showing the profound physical relation between the polarization degree of light emitted by the doped ion and the lattice symmetry, by demonstrating, with unprecedented precision, that the lattice constant ratio c/a directly quantifies the macroscopic effective polar angle of the electric and magnetic dipoles, which essentially determines the linear polarization degree of the emission. Based on this discovery, we further propose a pure optical technology to identify the three-dimensional orientation of a rod-shaped single microcrystal using the polarization-resolved micro-spectroscopy. Our results, revealing the physical origin of light polarization in ion-doped crystals, open the way towards on-demand polarization control with crystallography, and provide a versatile platform for polarization-based microscale sensing in dynamical systems.

physics.optics↗

Geodesic photon coupling and non-Hermitian exceptional point of microcavities on topologically curved space

Asymmetric microcavities supporting Whispering-gallery modes (WGMs) are of great significance for on-chip optical information processing. We define asymmetric microcavities on topologically curved surfaces, where the geodesic light trajectories completely reconstruct the cavity mode features. The quality factors of the lossy chaotic and island modes in flat cavities can be increased by up to ~200 times by the space curvature. Strong and weak coupling between modes of very different origins occur when the space curvature brings them into resonance, leading to a fine tailoring of the cavity photon energy and lifetime. Finally, we prove that by varying the overall loss, an exceptional point can be clearly observed at which both the cavity photon energy and lifetime become degenerate. Our work is at the crosspoint of optical chaotic dynamics, non-Hermitian physics and geodesic optical devices, and would open the novel area of geodesic microcavity photonics.

physics.optics↗

Angular-dependent Klein tunneling in photonic graphene

The Klein paradox consists in the perfect tunneling of relativistic particles through high potential barriers. As a curious feature of particle physics, it is responsible for the exceptional conductive properties of graphene. It was recently studied in the context of atomic condensates and topological photonics and phononics. While in theory the perfect tunneling holds only for normal incidence, so far the angular dependence of the Klein tunneling and its strong variation with the barrier height were not measured experimentally. In this work, we capitalize on the versatility of atomic vapor cells with paraxial beam propagation and index patterning by electromagnetically-induced transparency. We report the first experimental observation of perfect Klein transmission in a 2D photonic system (photonic graphene) at normal incidence and measure the angular dependence. Counter-intuitively, but in agreement with the Dirac equation, we observe that the decay of the Klein transmission versus angle is suppressed by increasing the barrier height, a key result for the conductivity of graphene and its analogues.

physics.optics↗

Hierarchy of Nonlinear Entanglement Dynamics for Continuous Variables

The entanglement produced by a bilinear Hamiltonian in continuous variables has been thoroughly studied and widely used. In contrast, the physics of entanglement resulting from nonlinear interaction described by partially degenerate high-order Hamiltonians remains unclear. Here, we derive a hierarchy of sufficient and necessary conditions for the positive-partial-transposition separability of bipartite nonlinear quantum states. The proposed criteria detect the nonpositive-partial-transposition inseparability of higher-order moments of states, which provides a systematic framework for the characterization of this kind of entanglement. Through numerical simulation of cubic and quartic Hamiltonians, we demonstrate the existence and competition of a hierarchy of entanglement witnesses, revealing the mechanism underlying such entanglement. Our results may provide a new direction in continuous variable quantum information processing.

quant-ph↗

Ray dynamics of whispering-gallery modes in curved space

Microcavities supporting Whispering-gallery modes (WGMs) are of great significance for on-chip optical information processing, which is frequently analyzed using ray dynamics that conventionally involves straight light trajectories in flat space. We develop a novel mathematical model of ray dynamics that allows investigating photon movement in WGM-microcavities defined on curved surfaces, which consists of curved or twisted light trajectories following the geodesic lines of the space. We show that the resulting ray dynamics differs dramatically from those in flat microcavities, and in various manners depending on whether the curved surface can be unfolded to flat. Our methods suggest a redefinition of the WGM symmetry in curved space and provides a universal tool for analyzing three-dimensional (3D) photonic circuits containing curved structures with boundaries.

physics.optics↗

Rabi oscillation of azimuthons in weakly nonlinear waveguides

Rabi oscillation, an inter-band oscillation, depicts the periodic flopping between two states that belong to different energy levels in the presence of an oscillatory driving field. In photonics, Rabi oscillation can be mimicked by applying a weak longitudinal periodic modulation to the refractive index change of the system. However, the Rabi oscillation of nonlinear states has yet to be discussed. We report Rabi oscillations of azimuthons---spatially modulated vortex solitons---in weakly nonlinear waveguides with different symmetries, both numerically and theoretically. The period of Rabi oscillation can be determined by applying the coupled mode theory, which largely depends on the modulation strength. Whether the Rabi oscillation between two states can be obtained or not is determined by the spatial symmetry of the azimuthons and the modulating potential. In this paper we succeeded in obtaining the Rabi oscillation of azimuthons in the weakly nonlinear waveguides with different symmetries. Our results not only enrich the Rabi oscillation phenomena, but also provide a new avenue in the study of pattern formation and spatial field manipulation in nonlinear optical systems.

physics.optics↗

Type-II Dirac photonic lattices

Different from the Fermi surface of the type-I Dirac semimetal being a point, that of the type-II Dirac semimetal is a pair of crossing lines because the Dirac cone is tilted with open and hyperbolic isofrequency contours. As an optical analogy, type-II Dirac photonic lattices have been also designed. Here, we report type-II Dirac cones in Lieb-like photonic lattices composed of identical waveguide channels, and the anisotropy of the band structure is due to neither the refractive index change nor the environment, but only the spatial symmetry of the lattice; therefore, the proposal is advantage and benefits experimental observation. Conical diffractions and Klein tunneling in the parametric type-II photonic lattice are investigated in detail. Our results provide a simple and experimental feasible platform to study two-dimensional topological photonic and other nonrelativistic phenomena around type-II Dirac cones.

physics.optics↗

Spin-orbit coupling in photonic graphene

We generate experimentally a honeycomb refractive index pattern in an atomic vapor cell using electromagnetically-induced transparency. We study experimentally and theoretically the propagation of polarized light beams in such "photonic graphene". We demonstrate that an effective spin-orbit coupling appears as a correction to the paraxial beam equations because of the strong spatial gradients of the permittivity. It leads to the coupling of spin and angular momentum at the Dirac points of the graphene lattice. Our results suggest that the polarization degree plays an important role in many configurations where it has been previously neglected.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Topological Valley Hall Edge State Lasing

Topological lasers based on topologically protected edge states offer unique features and enhanced robustness of operation in comparison with conventional lasers, even in the presence of disorder, edge deformation, and localized defects. Here we propose a new class of topological lasers arising from the valley Hall edge states, which does not require external magnetic fields or dynamical modulations of the device parameters. Specifically, topological lasing occurs at domain walls between two honeycomb waveguide arrays with broken spatial inversion symmetry. Two types of valley Hall edge lasing modes are found by shaping the gain landscape along the domain walls. In the presence of uniform losses and two-photon absorption, lasing in edge states results in the formation of stable nonlinear dissipative excitations localized on the edge of the structure, even if it has complex geometry and even if it is finite. Robustness of lasing states is demonstrated in both periodic and finite structures, where such states can circumvent sharp corners without scattering loss or radiation into the bulk. The photonic structure and mechanism proposed here for topological lasing is fundamentally different from those previously demonstrated topological lasers and can be used for fabrication of practical topological lasers of various geometries.

physics.optics↗

Observation of Edge Solitons in Photonic Graphene

Edge states emerge in diverse areas of science, offering new opportunities for the development of novel electronic or optoelectronic devices, sound and light propagation controls in acoustics and photonics. Previous experiments on edge states and exploration of topological phases in photonics were carried out mostly in linear regimes, but the current belief is that nonlinearity introduces new striking features into physics of edge states, lead-ing to the formation of edge solitons, optical isolation, and topological lasing, to name a few. Here we experimentally demonstrate edge solitons at the zigzag edge of a reconfigurable photonic graphene lattice created via the effect of electromagneti-cally induced transparency in an atomic vapor cell with controllable nonlinearity . To obtain edge solitons, Raman gain was introduced to compensate strong absorption experienced by the edge state during propagation. Our observations pave the way to ex-perimental exploration of topological photonics on nonlinear, reconfigurable platform.

physics.optics↗

A Criterion to identify maximally entangled nine-qubit state

We present a generalized criterion for maximally entangled nine-qubit states, whose minimum averaged subsystem purity should be equal to 1/14. In this note, we prove that absolutely maximally entangled state for nine qubits does not exist. Further, we construct a new genuine nine-qubit maximally entangled states of 110,15 and 1 balanced purities equal to 1/16, , 1/8 and and 1/4, respectively. We found that, the marginal density matrices for subsystems of 1,2,3- qubits all completely mixed in these states, therefore, maximally entangled nine-qubit state is a 3-uniform state.

quant-ph↗

Asymmetric conical diffraction in dislocated edge-centered square lattices

We investigate linear and nonlinear evolution dynamics of light beams propagating along a dislocated edge-centered square lattice. The band structure and Brillouin zones of this novel lattice are analyzed analytically and numerically. Asymmetric Dirac cones as well as the corresponding Bloch modes of the lattice are obtained. By adopting the tight-binding approximation, we give an explanation of the asymmetry of Dirac cones. By utilizing the appropriate Bloch modes, linear and nonlinear asymmetric conical diffraction is demonstrated. We find that both the focusing and defocusing nonlinearities can enhance the asymmetry of the conical diffraction.

physics.optics↗

Rabi-like oscillation of photonic topological valley Hall edge states

We investigate Rabi-like oscillations of topological valley Hall edge states by introducing two zigzag domain walls in an inversion-symmetry-breaking honeycomb photonic lattice. Such resonant oscillations are stimulated by weak periodic modulation of the lattice depth along the propagation direction that does not affect the overall symmetry and the band topology of the lattice. Oscillations are accompanied by periodic switching between edge states with the same Bloch momentum, but located at different domain walls. Switching period and efficiency are the nonmonotonic functions of the Bloch momentum in the Brillouin zone. We discuss how efficiency of this resonant process depends on detuning of modulation frequency from resonant value. Switching of nonlinear edge states is also briefly discussed. Our work brings about an effective approach to accomplish resonant oscillations of the valley Hall edge states in time-reversal-invariant topological insulators.

physics.optics↗

Generating Lieb and super-honeycomb lattices by employing the fractional Talbot effect

We demonstrate a novel method for producing optically-induced Lieb and super-honeycomb lattices, by employing the fractional Talbot effect of specific periodic beam structures. Our numerical and analytical results display the generation of Lieb and super-honeycomb lattices at fractional Talbot lengths effectively and with high beam quality. By adjusting the initial phase shifts of the interfering beams, the incident periodic beam structures, as well as the lattices with broken inversion symmetry, can be constructed in situ. This research suggests not only a possible practical utilization of the Talbot effect in the production of novel optically-induced lattices but also in the studies of related optical topological phenomena.

physics.optics↗

Particle-like behavior of topological defects in linear wave packets in photonic graphene

Topological defects, such as quantum vortices, determine the properties of quantum fluids. The study of their properties has been at the center of activity in solid state and BEC communities. On the other hand, the non-trivial behavior of wavepackets, such as the self-accelerating Airy beams, has also been intriguing physicists. Here, we study the formation, evolution, and interaction of optical vortices in wavepackets at the Dirac point in photonic graphene. We show that even in a non-interacting two-component system the topological excitations appearing in a wavepacket can still be considered as "particles", capable of mutual interaction, with their trajectory obeying the laws of dynamics.

physics.optics↗