Exploring unconventional features of light dynamics in Aubrey–André–Harper model based quasi-periodic optical lattices

Abstract

We report an Aubrey–André–Harper (AAH) model based quasi-periodic lossless evanescently coupled waveguide lattice to study the unconventional physics of light localization. We find an exclusively new way to establish localization phase transition in a 1D-AAH lattice by observing the slope variation of the band and accordingly study the modal characteristics to reveal the fact that a higher value of quasi-periodic modulation strength is imperative for observing a signature of fully localized light states having higher eigenenergy. This analytical concept has numerically been implemented in the proposed quasi-periodic lattice to achieve light localization, where we have shown that the supported states not only depend on localization phase transition parameter, but also on the specific location of excitation which is due to quasi-periodic nature of lattice. Furthermore, we have investigated a unique effect of the presence of disorder on light localization phenomenon, where it has been reported that the presence of off-diagonal disorder, which is otherwise detrimental, favours light localization in the proposed structure due to its quasi-periodic nature. The findings indeed have the potential to open up a fertile platform to manipulate light in passive photonic devices.