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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2025
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.16895 |
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| _version_ | 1866918212519591936 |
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| author | Blanchard, Paul-Édouard McDonald, Alexander St-Jean, Philippe |
| author_facet | Blanchard, Paul-Édouard McDonald, Alexander St-Jean, Philippe |
| contents | Non-reciprocity is a key resource for pushing the performance of photonic devices beyond the fundamental limits imposed by Lorentz reciprocity. Here, we report on the realization of an optical sensor where non-reciprocal light propagation allows detecting small perturbations with a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) that scales exponentially with system size. Our approach is based on encoding two Hatano-Nelson (HN) chains, which is equivalent to the bosonic Kitaev model, within the resonant modes of an electro-optics frequency comb. Non-reciprocal light propagation in the frequency domain is realized through simultaneous phase and amplitude modulation of the circulating field inside the optical fiber cavity. We demonstrate the sensing of a small modulating tone coupling the two HN chains with a SNR that scales exponentially with the lattice size, formed from up to 70 frequency modes per chain. Our results open a new paradigm in non-Hermitian sensing, with potential applications in remote sensing including the optical readout of superconducting circuits. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_16895 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Exponentially enhanced sensing through nonreciprocal light propagation Blanchard, Paul-Édouard McDonald, Alexander St-Jean, Philippe Optics Quantum Physics Non-reciprocity is a key resource for pushing the performance of photonic devices beyond the fundamental limits imposed by Lorentz reciprocity. Here, we report on the realization of an optical sensor where non-reciprocal light propagation allows detecting small perturbations with a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) that scales exponentially with system size. Our approach is based on encoding two Hatano-Nelson (HN) chains, which is equivalent to the bosonic Kitaev model, within the resonant modes of an electro-optics frequency comb. Non-reciprocal light propagation in the frequency domain is realized through simultaneous phase and amplitude modulation of the circulating field inside the optical fiber cavity. We demonstrate the sensing of a small modulating tone coupling the two HN chains with a SNR that scales exponentially with the lattice size, formed from up to 70 frequency modes per chain. Our results open a new paradigm in non-Hermitian sensing, with potential applications in remote sensing including the optical readout of superconducting circuits. |
| title | Exponentially enhanced sensing through nonreciprocal light propagation |
| topic | Optics Quantum Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.16895 |