2020/02/12 by Zhaoyang Zhang, Zhang, Zhaoyang, Shun Liang +16 · 1 citation
Chemistry · Physics and Astronomy · #Angular momentum #Beam (structure) #Chemistry #Condensed matter physics #Coupling (piping) #Dirac equation #Electromagnetically induced transparency #FOS: Physical sciences #Graphene #Materials science #Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall) #Optics #Optics (physics.optics) #Paraxial approximation #Physics #Polarization (electrochemistry) #Quantum mechanics #Quantum optics and atomic interactions #Refractive index #Spin–orbit interaction #Strong Light-Matter Interactions #Topological Materials and Phenomena #cond-mat.mes-hall #physics.optics
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2002.04927
published in arXiv (Cornell University) (Cornell University)
arxiv created 2020/02/12 · openalex publication_date 2020/02/12 · arxiv updated 2020/02/13 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/08
We generate experimentally a honeycomb refractive index pattern in an atomic vapor cell using electromagnetically-induced transparency. We study experimentally and theoretically the propagation of polarized light beams in such "photonic graphene". We demonstrate that an effective spin-orbit coupling appears as a correction to the paraxial beam equations because of the strong spatial gradients of the permittivity. It leads to the coupling of spin and angular momentum at the Dirac points of the graphene lattice. Our results suggest that the polarization degree plays an important role in many configurations where it has been previously neglected.