Exploratory Modeling of Gauge-Field Photonic Lattices

Tight-binding and full-wave exploration of gauge-field-induced duality and Hofstadter-type spectra in photonic lattices

Platform
Synthetic gauge fields
My role
Tight-binding & full-wave modeling
Status
Exploratory modeling

Context: Undergraduate research with Prof. Zhen Gao, Artificial Microstructure Physics Research Group, SUSTech.

Research focus

Synthetic gauge fields provide a way to explore how coupling patterns shape the spectra of photonic lattices. In this exploratory project, I studied connections between effective lattice models and full-wave photonic structures.

Conceptual comparison of symmetry, projective symmetry, and duality in lattice models
Conceptual illustration prepared by Chengle Fan: symmetry, projective symmetry, and duality in lattice models. For theoretical background, see Fruchart, Yao, and Vitelli, Physical Review Research 5, 023099 (2023).

My contribution

I developed tight-binding and full-wave models to explore gauge-field-induced duality and Hofstadter-type spectra. I also used MATLAB for spectral analysis and comparisons between effective-model predictions and electromagnetic simulations.

This work developed my modeling skills and helped me assess which features of an idealized Hamiltonian can be carried into a physical design. The project remains an exploratory study.