SynOptic · Synthetic Gauge Fields in Quantum Optics

Synthetic Gauge Fields in Quantum Optics

Controlling the flow of light lies at the heart of many current and emerging technologies. For example, we use photonics everyday to image the world around us and to transmit information over long distances in optical fibers. There are also ongoing efforts to develop photonic processing units to be included in faster and more energy-efficient all-optical computer chips and/or integrated with standard semiconductor technology. In the longer-term, the quantum properties of light may even be exploited for quantum communication and computing. Along with these developments in optical sciences, research in quantum condensed matter physics has dramatically advanced our understanding of “topological states of matter”, as recognized by the 2016 Physics Nobel Prize. In these systems, electrons can flow along one-way surface channels that are unaffected by disorder and dirt in the sample. This exotic physics arises from the interplay of the electrical charge of the electron and “gauge fields”, such as magnetic fields. Now, a fast-growing research area is uniting these two strands to engineer topological photonic states to enhance quantum optical technologies, for example, by providing robust one-way waveguides for light. However, photons do not carry an electrical charge and so do not respond in the same way as electrons to magnetic fields. Instead, innovative approaches are needed to engineer the effects of the magnetic field synthetically. In this Fellowship, our objective was to theoretically propose ways to implement synthetic magnetic fields or “spin-orbit couplings” for light, and to understand how such effects can be explored in cutting-edge experiments. This is important as optical set-ups can be used to engineer new types of topological systems, allowing us to study the fundamentals of topological physics, as well as to make progress towards applications in robust optical components or, in the long-term, even fault-free topological quantum computing.

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