Relativistic aberration of light mimicked by microring resonator-based optical All-Pass Filter (APF)

We report a photonic circuit analogue of the relativistic aberration of light (AL) phenomenon in Special Relativity (SR) using an All-Pass Filter (APF). The APF is one of the key building blocks in Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs). We investigate its phase characteristics for AL in detail. We also compare the similarities and differences between the current work and our previously reported Thomas-Effect-inspired analogue since both analogues used the APF as their photonic circuit representations. This analogue strengthens the novel linkage between SR and PICs, and supports the concept of the Special-Relativity-on-a-Chip. This highlights the potential of the APF as a flexible, building block for a multipurpose circuit that combines two or more SR analogues leading toward a programmable SR circuit. Lastly, this opens up a new application space for PICs beside the traditional optical telecommunications and sensing applications.