Abstract
We propose a one-dimensional tight-binding lattice with special non-Hermitian coupling, the imaginary part of which is modulated by an effective Peierls phase arising from the synthetic magnetic field. Such a non-Hermitian lattice supports robust unidirectional transport that is reflectionless and immune to defects; it thus can serve as a frequency-selectable light filter. To achieve more applications, we further construct two well-designed structures involving this lattice, namely a heterostructure and a sandwich structure. An optical diode can be realized using the heterostructure, while tunable light trapping and reversal can be realized through phase modulations on the sandwich structure. The results in this paper may not only open up a new path for unconventional light transport but also have potential applications for optical communication.
Highlights
Controllable light transport has long been an important research objective due to its significant potential in practical applications[1]
We reveal that a class of non-Hermitian one-dimensional lattices can support tunable robust unidirectional transport that is reflectionless and immune to defects
The sandwich structure is excited by a right-going Gaussian wave with initial wave number q0 < 0, which is input upon the left non-Hermitian part with matching phase φ0 = − (q0 + π)
Summary
Controllable light transport has long been an important research objective due to its significant potential in practical applications[1]. We reveal that a class of non-Hermitian one-dimensional lattices can support tunable robust unidirectional transport that is reflectionless and immune to defects.
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