Electromagnetically induced moiré optical lattices in a coherent atomic gas

Abstract

Electromagnetically induced optical (or photonic) lattices via atomic coherence in atomic ensembles have recently received great theoretical and experimental interest. We here conceive a way to generate electromagnetically induced moiré optical lattices — a twisted periodic pattern when two identical periodic patterns (lattices) are overlapped in a twisted angle (θ) — in a three-level coherent atomic gas working under electromagnetically induced transparency. We show that, changing the twisted angle and relative strength between the two constitutive sublattices, the moiré Bloch bands that are extremely flattened can always appear, resembling the typical flat-band and moiré physics found in other contexts. Dynamics of light propagation in the induced periodic structures demonstrating the unique linear localization and delocalization properties are also revealed. Our scheme can be implemented in a Rubidium atomic medium, where the predicted moiré optical lattices and flattened bands are naturally observable.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

electromagnetically induced transparency / moiré optical lattices / extremely flat bands / light propagation / coherent atomic gas

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