Photonic lattices

The propagation of light waves across a periodic array of evanescently coupled optical waveguides can be described by a Schrödinger-like equation for a particle in a periodic potential. This mapping allows us to investigate the dynamics of electrons in a crystalline solid using an artificial crystal of optical waveguides, known as a photonic lattice. We will present the unique capabilities of ultrafast laser inscription (ULI) that enable us to design, fabricate and precisely control various properties of a photonic lattice. We then show how this photonic platform can be used to experimentally observe various single particle effects known from solid-state physics, such as the localised states associated with flat-band lattice geometries, localised Wannier-Stark states, photon-assisted tunnelling and the anomalous topological edge modes in slowly-driven lattices.