The collective response of a system is profoundly shaped by the interaction dynamics between its constituent elements. In physics, tailoring these interactions can enable the observation of unusual phenomena that are otherwise inaccessible in standard settings, ranging from the possibility of a Kramer’s degeneracy even in the absence of spin to the breakdown of the bulk-boundary correspondence. Here, we show how tailored asymmetric coupling terms can be realized in photonic integrated platforms by exploiting non-Hermitian concepts. In this regard, we introduce a generalized photonic molecule composed of a pair of microring resonators with internal S-bends connected via two directional couplers and a link waveguide. By judiciously designing the parameters of this system, namely, the length of the links and the power division ratio of the directional couplers, we experimentally show the emergence of Hermitian and non-Hermitian-type exchange interactions. The ramifications of such coupling dynamics are then studied in 1D chain and ring-type active lattices. Our findings establish the proposed structure as a promising building block for the realization of a variety of phenomena, especially those associated with phase locking in laser arrays and non-Hermitian topological lattices.

中文翻译：

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有源共振光子结构中的工程相互作用动力学

一个系统的集体反应是由其组成元素之间的相互作用动态深刻塑造的。在物理学中，调整这些相互作用可以观察到在标准设置中无法观察到的异常现象，从即使在没有自旋的情况下克莱默简并的可能性到体边界对应的破坏。在这里，我们展示了如何通过利用非厄米概念在光子集成平台中实现定制的非对称耦合项。在这方面，我们介绍了一种广义光子分子，它由一对具有内部 S 弯曲的微环谐振器组成，这些谐振器通过两个定向耦合器和一个链路波导连接。通过明智地设计该系统的参数，即，链接的长度和定向耦合器的功率分配比，我们通过实验证明了 Hermitian 和非 Hermitian 型交换相互作用的出现。然后在一维链和环型活性晶格中研究这种耦合动力学的后果。我们的发现将提出的结构确立为实现各种现象的有希望的基础，尤其是与激光阵列和非Hermitian拓扑晶格中的锁相相关的那些现象。