Mode pumping in photonic lattices using a single tailored auxiliary waveguide

Abstract

In this work, we propose a completely general method to pump the gapped topological modes of a lattice of optical waveguides by controlling the propagation constant of an auxiliary waveguide and its coupling to the main lattice. In this way, we can transform a single-waveguide excitation on the auxiliary waveguide into a specific mode of the lattice. We also demonstrate the possibility of transferring supermodes between two waveguide lattices using the same method. We illustrate the results by pumping and transferring the topological modes of Su-Schrieffer-Heeger lattices. For both scenarios, we show that purities above 99% can be achieved with parameter values within experimental reach. Additionally, we demonstrate how the technique can be used to pump the bulk modes of the lattice for low number of waveguides or enable mode conversion between waveguide lattices.