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Backscattering-immune Floquet conversion in ring modulators

Awanish Pandey*

Alex Krasnok

  • *Contact author: opcawanish@iitd.ac.in
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Phys. Rev. Applied 23, 024046 – Published 19 February, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevApplied.23.024046

Abstract

Backscattering in microring cavities induces mode mixing and limits device performance. Existing methods to mitigate backscattering often involve complex fabrication processes or are insufficient for complete suppression. In this work, we introduce a method to eliminate backscattering by operating the cavity at an exceptional point (EP). By engineering nonconservative coupling between degenerate clockwise and counterclockwise modes, we achieve chiral transmission that prevents degeneracy lifting and suppresses unwanted mode coupling. Unlike previous approaches that rely on precise gain-loss balance or complex structures, our method utilizes nonconservative coupling between the counterpropgating cavity modes. Using this method, we further show significant enhancement in the cavity performance in Floquet mode conversion efficiency at the EP. Our highly adaptable approach enables seamless integration into various photonic platforms with electro-optic modulators. This advancement mitigates backscattering and improves the precision of light-matter interactions, offering promising applications in quantum communication and information processing.

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Outline

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Phys. Rev. Applied 23, 024046– Published 19 February, 2025
  • Received 20 November 2024
  • Revised 21 January 2025
  • Accepted 27 January 2025
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