Construct Anyons from Photons in a One-Dimensional Array of Dynamically-Modulated Resonators

The exploration of anyon physics is of great importance, where the capability for achieving anyon states points to possibilities for achieving non-trivial many-body photon states that are potentially interesting for quantum information processing. We create anyons out of photons in a photonic structure composed of resonators with Kerr nonlinearity undergoing modulation. With the proper choice of the modulation profile, the Hamiltonian of the photonic system is mapped into the Hamiltonian corresponding to a system of the one-dimensional anyons. We further couple the resonator to external waveguides. This open system enables us to directly conduct anyon interference experiments through a photon transport measurement. Also, it allows us to selectively probe anyon density distributions inside resonators, such as the ground state and the excited states of the anyon system. Our work opens an avenue of exploring fundamental physics using photonic structures and provides the platform that can be useful for demonstrating a wide range of anyon physics effects.