Photon transport in binary photonic lattices

Abstract

We present a review of the mathematical methods that are used to theoretically study classical propagation and quantum transport in arrays of coupled photonic waveguides. We focus on analyzing two types of binary photonic lattices: those where either self-energies or couplings alternate. For didactic reasons, we split the analysis into classical propagation and quantum transport, but all methods can be implemented, mutatis mutandis, in a given case. On the classical side, we use coupled mode theory and present an operator approach to the Floquet–Bloch theory in order to study the propagation of a classical electromagnetic field in two particular infinite binary lattices. On the quantum side, we study the transport of photons in equivalent finite and infinite binary lattices by coupled mode theory and linear algebra methods involving orthogonal polynomials. Curiously, the dynamics of finite size binary lattices can be expressed as the roots and functions of Fibonacci polynomials.