Full polarization control of photons with evanescent wave coupling in the ultra subwavelength gap of photonic molecules
Abstract Polarization of photons plays a key role in quantum optics and light-matter interactions, however, it is difficult to control in nanosystems since the eigenstate of a nanophotonic cavity is usually fixed and linearly polarized. Here, we reveal the polarization control of photons using photo...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Publishing Group
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Light: Science & Applications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01794-1 |
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| author | Rui Zhu Chenjiang Qian Shan Xiao Jingnan Yang Sai Yan Hanqing Liu Deyan Dai Hancong Li Longlong Yang Xiqing Chen Yu Yuan Danjie Dai Zhanchun Zuo Haiqiao Ni Zhichuan Niu Can Wang Kuijuan Jin Qihuang Gong Xiulai Xu |
| author_facet | Rui Zhu Chenjiang Qian Shan Xiao Jingnan Yang Sai Yan Hanqing Liu Deyan Dai Hancong Li Longlong Yang Xiqing Chen Yu Yuan Danjie Dai Zhanchun Zuo Haiqiao Ni Zhichuan Niu Can Wang Kuijuan Jin Qihuang Gong Xiulai Xu |
| author_sort | Rui Zhu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Polarization of photons plays a key role in quantum optics and light-matter interactions, however, it is difficult to control in nanosystems since the eigenstate of a nanophotonic cavity is usually fixed and linearly polarized. Here, we reveal the polarization control of photons using photonic molecules (PMs) that host supermodes of two coupled nanobeam cavities. In contrast to conventional PMs in a 2D photonic crystal slab, for the two 1D photonic crystal nanobeam cavities the shift and gap between them can be tuned continuously. With an ultra subwavelength gap, the coupling between the two cavities is dominated by the evanescent wave coupling in the surrounding environment, rather not the emission wave coupling for conventional PMs. As such, the non-Hermiticity of the system becomes pronounced, and the supermodes consist of a non-trivial phase difference between bare eigenstates that supports elliptical polarization. We observe that both the polarization degree and polarization angle of the antisymmetric mode strongly depend on the shift and gap between the two cavities, exhibiting polarization states from linear to circular. This full polarization control indicates the great potential of PMs in quantum optical devices and spin-resolved cavity quantum electrodynamics. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-1a0284b855bc46cba63b21744d8967ce |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2047-7538 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Nature Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Light: Science & Applications |
| spelling | doaj-art-1a0284b855bc46cba63b21744d8967ce2025-08-20T02:47:07ZengNature Publishing GroupLight: Science & Applications2047-75382025-03-011411910.1038/s41377-025-01794-1Full polarization control of photons with evanescent wave coupling in the ultra subwavelength gap of photonic moleculesRui Zhu0Chenjiang Qian1Shan Xiao2Jingnan Yang3Sai Yan4Hanqing Liu5Deyan Dai6Hancong Li7Longlong Yang8Xiqing Chen9Yu Yuan10Danjie Dai11Zhanchun Zuo12Haiqiao Ni13Zhichuan Niu14Can Wang15Kuijuan Jin16Qihuang Gong17Xiulai Xu18Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of SciencesState Key Laboratory for Mesoscopic Physics and Frontiers Science Center for Nano-optoelectronics, School of Physics, Peking UniversityBeijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of SciencesState Key Laboratory of Superlattices and Microstructures, Institute of Semiconductors Chinese Academy of SciencesState Key Laboratory of Superlattices and Microstructures, Institute of Semiconductors Chinese Academy of SciencesState Key Laboratory for Mesoscopic Physics and Frontiers Science Center for Nano-optoelectronics, School of Physics, Peking UniversityState Key Laboratory for Mesoscopic Physics and Frontiers Science Center for Nano-optoelectronics, School of Physics, Peking UniversityState Key Laboratory for Mesoscopic Physics and Frontiers Science Center for Nano-optoelectronics, School of Physics, Peking UniversityBeijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of SciencesState Key Laboratory of Superlattices and Microstructures, Institute of Semiconductors Chinese Academy of SciencesState Key Laboratory of Superlattices and Microstructures, Institute of Semiconductors Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of SciencesState Key Laboratory for Mesoscopic Physics and Frontiers Science Center for Nano-optoelectronics, School of Physics, Peking UniversityState Key Laboratory for Mesoscopic Physics and Frontiers Science Center for Nano-optoelectronics, School of Physics, Peking UniversityAbstract Polarization of photons plays a key role in quantum optics and light-matter interactions, however, it is difficult to control in nanosystems since the eigenstate of a nanophotonic cavity is usually fixed and linearly polarized. Here, we reveal the polarization control of photons using photonic molecules (PMs) that host supermodes of two coupled nanobeam cavities. In contrast to conventional PMs in a 2D photonic crystal slab, for the two 1D photonic crystal nanobeam cavities the shift and gap between them can be tuned continuously. With an ultra subwavelength gap, the coupling between the two cavities is dominated by the evanescent wave coupling in the surrounding environment, rather not the emission wave coupling for conventional PMs. As such, the non-Hermiticity of the system becomes pronounced, and the supermodes consist of a non-trivial phase difference between bare eigenstates that supports elliptical polarization. We observe that both the polarization degree and polarization angle of the antisymmetric mode strongly depend on the shift and gap between the two cavities, exhibiting polarization states from linear to circular. This full polarization control indicates the great potential of PMs in quantum optical devices and spin-resolved cavity quantum electrodynamics.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01794-1 |
| spellingShingle | Rui Zhu Chenjiang Qian Shan Xiao Jingnan Yang Sai Yan Hanqing Liu Deyan Dai Hancong Li Longlong Yang Xiqing Chen Yu Yuan Danjie Dai Zhanchun Zuo Haiqiao Ni Zhichuan Niu Can Wang Kuijuan Jin Qihuang Gong Xiulai Xu Full polarization control of photons with evanescent wave coupling in the ultra subwavelength gap of photonic molecules Light: Science & Applications |
| title | Full polarization control of photons with evanescent wave coupling in the ultra subwavelength gap of photonic molecules |
| title_full | Full polarization control of photons with evanescent wave coupling in the ultra subwavelength gap of photonic molecules |
| title_fullStr | Full polarization control of photons with evanescent wave coupling in the ultra subwavelength gap of photonic molecules |
| title_full_unstemmed | Full polarization control of photons with evanescent wave coupling in the ultra subwavelength gap of photonic molecules |
| title_short | Full polarization control of photons with evanescent wave coupling in the ultra subwavelength gap of photonic molecules |
| title_sort | full polarization control of photons with evanescent wave coupling in the ultra subwavelength gap of photonic molecules |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01794-1 |
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