Thermal control of the topological edge flow in nonlinear photonic lattices
Abstract
The chaotic evolution resulting from the interplay between topology and nonlinearity in photonic systems generally forbids the sustainability of optical currents. Here, we systematically explore the nonlinear evolution dynamics in topological photonic lattices within the framework of optical thermodynamics. By considering an archetypical two-dimensional Haldane photonic lattice, we discover several prethermal states beyond the topological phase transition point and a stable global equilibrium response, associated with a specific optical temperature and chemical potential. Along these lines, we provide a consistent thermodynamic methodology for both controlling and maximizing the unidirectional power flow in the topological edge states. This can be achieved by either employing cross-phase interactions between two subsystems or by exploiting self-heating effects in disordered or Floquet topological lattices. Our results indicate that photonic topological systems can in fact support robust photon transport processes even under the extreme complexity introduced by nonlinearity, an important feature for contemporary topological applications in photonics.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jul 29, 2022
- Source ID
- 10.1038/s41467-022-32069-7
Entities
People
- Demetrios N. Christodoulides
- F. O. Wu
- Georgios G Pyrialakos
- Mercedeh Khajavikhan
- Midya Parto
- P. S. Jung
- Wieslaw Krolikowski
Organizations
- National Science Foundation
- Office of Naval Research Global
- Simons Foundation