Quantum electrodynamics near photonic Weyl points
Iñaki García-Elcano, Alejandro González-Tudela, Jorge Bravo‐Abad · arXiv (Cornell University) · 2019
Weyl photons appear when two three-dimensional photonic bands with linear dispersion are degenerate at a single momentum point, labeled as Weyl point. These points have remarkable properties such as being robust topological monopoles of Berry curvature as well as an associated vanishing density of states. Here, we study the quantum optical consequences of such topological Weyl photons by characterizing the individual and collective dynamics of quantum emitters close to resonance with these points. Using an exact non-perturbative treatment, we predict the development of non-exponential decay dynamics due to the emergence of localized photonic states around the emitters. We find that these bound states, whose wavefunction displays power-law spatial decay, can mediate coherent and topological long-range interactions when many emitters exchange energy through Weyl photons. Furthermore, by exploiting the topological protection of Weyl points, we provide a recipe to tune the range of the mediated interactions while keeping their power-law nature, something not possible in any other photonic platform. Thus, Weyl photons enable coherent, tunable, long-range interactions between emitters, and therefore can become a very valuable platform in the context of quantum simulation.