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  • Open Access

Incoherence-assisted mode excitation in non-Hermitian resonant systems

Amin Hashemi1,*, Vinzenz Zimmermann1, Armando Perez-Leija2, and Andrea Blanco-Redondo1,†

  • *Contact author: am960769@ucf.edu
  • †Contact author: andrea.blancoredondo@ucf.edu
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Phys. Rev. Research 8, 023182 – Published 19 May, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/nmm6-5mkg

Abstract

We introduce and experimentally demonstrate an approach for selective mode excitation in non-Hermitian resonant systems using incoherent light. This method eliminates the need for precise phase control that is often required in coherent excitation schemes. Using this technique on a silicon photonic platform with coupled ring resonators, we successfully excite the topological edge state of a non-Hermitian Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model. Our work shows that incoherence-assisted excitation is a robust and passive strategy for topological state preparation, which broadens the scope of non-Hermitian topological photonics, thereby providing a practical and experimentally viable tool for selective mode excitation.

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Phys. Rev. Research 8, 023182– Published 19 May, 2026
  • Received 8 September 2025
  • Accepted 3 May 2026
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

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