Programmable Quantum Nanophotonics

Analog quantum simulators rely on programmable quantum devices to emulate Hamiltonians describing various physical phenomenon. Photonic coupled cavity arrays are a promising platform for realizing such devices. Using a silicon photonic coupled cavity array made up of high quality-factor resonators and equipped with specially designed thermo-optic island heaters for independent control of cavities, we demonstrate a programmable device implementing tight-binding Hamiltonians with access to the full eigen-energy spectrum. We report a reduction in the thermal crosstalk between neighboring sites of the cavity array compared to traditional heaters, and then present a control scheme to program the cavity array to a given tight-binding Hamiltonian. Finally, I will talk about use of colloidal materials to provide strong nonlinearity in this platform.