Topological band structure in synthetic dimensions

Emulating topological phases of matter in photonic systems appears particularly promising for engineering new generations of quantum devices more resilient to noise or external perturbations. Indeed, the great versatility of these platforms could allow developing specific architectures that have no counterparts in condensed matter. The goal of this project is to experimentally explore the fundamental limits of topological protection in systems whose dimensionality exceeds the usual three dimensions of space. To do this, it is necessary to define new degrees of freedom along which the electromagnetic field evolves: these are usually referred to as synthetic dimensions. More specifically, we will build an experimental platform to realize a theoretical proposal developed in collaboration with our colleagues at McGill University to use coupled optical fiber loops to emulate synthetic spaces of arbitrary dimension.

Faculty Supervisor:

Philippe St-Jean

Student:

Partner:

École normale supérieure de Lyon

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Quantum Science; Information and Communications Technology; Technology

University:

Université de Montréal

Program: