Jack Harris

Date

24 May 2023

Host

Daniela Rupp

Title

Measuring the Knots and Braids of Non-Hermitian Oscillators

Abstract

It may seem unlikely that rich mathematical structures still remain to be uncovered in simple arrays of classical oscillators. However, such systems that combine non-reciprocity and loss (or gain) have provided a number of surprises in recent years. I will describe how these systems are naturally connected to braids, knots, and other topological structures. This will be a pedagogical introduction to the topic, with lots of pictures and videos. I will also present our measurements of these structures (using a cavity optomechanical system), and will describe their potential application in various control schemes.