Observation of non-Markovian Radiative Phenomena in Structured Photonic Lattices

Abstract: The spectral structure of a photonic reservoir shapes radiation phenomena for embedded quantum emitters. We implement an all-optical analogue to study such an effect, particularly to observe the non-Markovian radiation dynamics of an emitter coupled to two-dimensional structured reservoirs. Its dynamics is simulated by light propagating through a photonic lattice, acting as a reservoir for an adjacent waveguide that mimics a coupled quantum emitter. We study radiation dynamics in square and Lieb lattices under different coupling regimes and observe how the flat band properties of the Lieb lattice significantly enhances light-matter coupling and non-Markovianity. Our platform opens a path for the experimental exploration of single photon quantum optical phenomena in structured reservoirs to enhance light-matter interactions.