Aharonov-Bohm photonic cages in waveguide and coupled resonator lattices by synthetic magnetic fields

We suggest a method for trapping photons in quasi-one-dimensional waveguide or coupled-resonator lattices, which is based on an optical analogue of the Aharonov-Bohm cages for charged particles. Light trapping results from a destructive interference of Aharonov-Bohm type induced by a synthetic magnetic field, which is realized by periodic modulation of the waveguide/resonator propagation constants/resonances. (C) 2014 Optical Society of America