Observation of coherent destruction of tunneling and unusual beam dynamics due to negative coupling in three-dimensional photonic lattices

We demonstrate coherent destruction of tunneling (CDT) in optically induced three-dimensional photonic lattices. By fine-tuning the lattice modulation, we show unusual behavior of beam propagation, including light tunneling inhibition, anomalous diffraction, and negative refraction mediated by zero or negative coupling in the waveguide arrays. Image transmission based on CDT is also proposed and demonstrated. Our experimental results are in good agreement with our theoretical analyses. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America