Reconfigurable photon localization by coherent drive and dissipation in photonic lattices

The engineering of localized modes in photonic structures is one of the main targets of modern photonics. An efficient strategy to design these modes is to use the interplay of constructive and destructive interference in periodic photonic lattices. This mechanism is at the origin of the defect modes in photonic bandgaps, bound states in the continuum, and compact localized states in flat bands. Here, we show that in lattices of lossy resonators, the addition of external optical drives with a controlled phase enlarges the possibilities of manipulating interference effects and allows for the design of novel types of localized modes. Using a honeycomb lattice of coupled micropillars resonantly driven with several laser spots at energies within its photonic bands, we demonstrate the localization of light in at-will geometries down to a single site. These localized modes are fully reconfigurable and have the potentiality of enhancing nonlinear effects and of controlling light-matter interactions with single site resolution. (c) 2022 Optica Publishing Group under the terms of the Optica Open Access Publishing Agreement