Eur. Phys. J. D (2015) 69: 42
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2014-50716-y

Regular Article

Modal approach of photon correlations in lattices of coupled waveguides

¹ Institut Mines-Telecom/Telecom ParisTech, 46 rue Barrault, 75634 Paris Cedex 13, France
² CNRS/LPN, Laboratoire de Photonique et de Nanostructures, 91460 Marcoussis, France

^a e-mail: isabelle.robert@lpn.cnrs.fr

Received: 29 September 2014
Received in final form: 24 November 2014
Published online: 12 February 2015

Abstract

Quantum propagation of indistinguishable photons in coupled waveguide lattices is analyzed in the asymptotic limit. Such an approach reveals the existence of two main relevant families of modes supported by the photonic lattice: localized side modes and Floquet-Bloch eigenmodes delocalized over the array. Under two-photon injection, the modal framework unravels the photon bunching and antibunching effects occurring in coupled waveguide lattices. In particular, photon correlations in the Floquet-Bloch modes are exhibited. Engineering of the propagation in such delocalized eigenmodes through patterning of the array coupling constant may open the way to discrete photonics platforms implementing efficient modal manipulation of quantum light involving large photon-number states.