Exceptional points in a passive strip waveguide

Exceptional points (EPs) in non-Hermitian systems have attracted significant interest due to their unique behaviors, including novel wave propagation and radiation. While EPs have been explored in various photonic systems, their integration into standard photonic platforms can expand their applicabi...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hasanli Shamkhal, Hasan Mehedi, Yoon Hyejin, Lee Seungyong, Kim Sangsik
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: De Gruyter 2025-03-01
Series:Nanophotonics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1515/nanoph-2024-0701
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849310620108718080
author Hasanli Shamkhal
Hasan Mehedi
Yoon Hyejin
Lee Seungyong
Kim Sangsik
author_facet Hasanli Shamkhal
Hasan Mehedi
Yoon Hyejin
Lee Seungyong
Kim Sangsik
author_sort Hasanli Shamkhal
collection DOAJ
description Exceptional points (EPs) in non-Hermitian systems have attracted significant interest due to their unique behaviors, including novel wave propagation and radiation. While EPs have been explored in various photonic systems, their integration into standard photonic platforms can expand their applicability to broader technological domains. In this work, we propose and experimentally demonstrate EPs in an integrated photonic strip waveguide configuration, exhibiting unique deep wave penetration and uniform-intensity radiation profiles. By introducing the second-order grating on one side of the waveguide, forward and backward propagating modes are coupled both directly through second-order coupling and indirectly through first-order coupling via a radiative intermediate mode. To describe the EP behavior in a strip configuration, we introduce modified coupled-mode equations that account for both transverse and longitudinal components. These coupled-mode formulas reveal the formation of EPs in bandgap closure, achieved by numerically optimizing the grating’s duty cycle to manipulate the first- and second-order couplings simultaneously. Experimental observations, consistent with simulations, confirm the EP behavior, with symmetric transmission spectra and constant radiation profiles at the EP wavelength, in contrast to conventional exponential decay observed at detuned wavelengths. These results demonstrate the realization of EPs in a widely applicable strip waveguide configuration, paving the way for advanced EP applications in nonlinear and ultrafast photonics, as well as advanced sensing technologies.
format Article
id doaj-art-ea352af2ab864e07a6db41d3daae78a3
institution Kabale University
issn 2192-8614
language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher De Gruyter
record_format Article
series Nanophotonics
spelling doaj-art-ea352af2ab864e07a6db41d3daae78a32025-08-20T03:53:41ZengDe GruyterNanophotonics2192-86142025-03-011481301130910.1515/nanoph-2024-0701Exceptional points in a passive strip waveguideHasanli Shamkhal0Hasan Mehedi1Yoon Hyejin2Lee Seungyong3Kim Sangsik4School of Electrical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon34141, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX79409, USAGraduate School of Quantum Science and Technology, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon34141, Republic of KoreaSchool of Electrical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon34141, Republic of KoreaSchool of Electrical Engineering and Graduate School of Quantum Science and Technology, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon34141, Republic of KoreaExceptional points (EPs) in non-Hermitian systems have attracted significant interest due to their unique behaviors, including novel wave propagation and radiation. While EPs have been explored in various photonic systems, their integration into standard photonic platforms can expand their applicability to broader technological domains. In this work, we propose and experimentally demonstrate EPs in an integrated photonic strip waveguide configuration, exhibiting unique deep wave penetration and uniform-intensity radiation profiles. By introducing the second-order grating on one side of the waveguide, forward and backward propagating modes are coupled both directly through second-order coupling and indirectly through first-order coupling via a radiative intermediate mode. To describe the EP behavior in a strip configuration, we introduce modified coupled-mode equations that account for both transverse and longitudinal components. These coupled-mode formulas reveal the formation of EPs in bandgap closure, achieved by numerically optimizing the grating’s duty cycle to manipulate the first- and second-order couplings simultaneously. Experimental observations, consistent with simulations, confirm the EP behavior, with symmetric transmission spectra and constant radiation profiles at the EP wavelength, in contrast to conventional exponential decay observed at detuned wavelengths. These results demonstrate the realization of EPs in a widely applicable strip waveguide configuration, paving the way for advanced EP applications in nonlinear and ultrafast photonics, as well as advanced sensing technologies.https://doi.org/10.1515/nanoph-2024-0701exceptional pointswaveguidephotonic integrated circuitnon-hermitian photonics
spellingShingle Hasanli Shamkhal
Hasan Mehedi
Yoon Hyejin
Lee Seungyong
Kim Sangsik
Exceptional points in a passive strip waveguide
Nanophotonics
exceptional points
waveguide
photonic integrated circuit
non-hermitian photonics
title Exceptional points in a passive strip waveguide
title_full Exceptional points in a passive strip waveguide
title_fullStr Exceptional points in a passive strip waveguide
title_full_unstemmed Exceptional points in a passive strip waveguide
title_short Exceptional points in a passive strip waveguide
title_sort exceptional points in a passive strip waveguide
topic exceptional points
waveguide
photonic integrated circuit
non-hermitian photonics
url https://doi.org/10.1515/nanoph-2024-0701
work_keys_str_mv AT hasanlishamkhal exceptionalpointsinapassivestripwaveguide
AT hasanmehedi exceptionalpointsinapassivestripwaveguide
AT yoonhyejin exceptionalpointsinapassivestripwaveguide
AT leeseungyong exceptionalpointsinapassivestripwaveguide
AT kimsangsik exceptionalpointsinapassivestripwaveguide