The objective of this program is to examine the ultrafast nonlinear interactions in slow-light photonic crystals, based on recent advancements and towards chip-scale optical signal processing. Experimental observation, along with device nanofabrication, theory and numerical modeling, will be examined in this program.
The intellectual merit is composed of three interrelated Research Thrusts. In Thrust I temporal solitons and ultrafast pulses will be examined in slow-light photonic crystals, in addition to the characterization of the ultrafast pulses. In Thrust II, the program will extend the single electromagnetic wave nonlinear - dispersive interactions to the nonlinear coupling between two electromagnetic waves. In Thrust III, the program will examine four-wave mixing, including optical signal processing.
The broader impacts are the enhanced ultrafast nonlinearities in slow-light photonic crystals for ultrashort pulse generation and frequency conversion, in next-generation chip-scale optical signal processing and communication modules. The Educational outreach and programs will benefit minority and underrepresented groups, K-12 students, high-school teachers, graduate and undergraduate students. The educational tasks involve the outreach to under-served education programs in Harlem and Lower Bronx by working with the GK12 programs and the Double Discovery Center summer program, to develop optical nanoscience and technology teaching modules. The program will also work with the high-school science and physics teachers in Harlem to develop an elective teaching module, involving both theoretical and experimental components, and a ?hands-on? module, to reinforce the advances at intersection of optical physics with nanoscience and technology.
Intellectual Merit: in this program we demonstrated for the first time ultrafast soliton dynamics in photonic crystals, with the experimental observations supported by theory and numerical simulations, and device nanofabrication. Slow-light photonic crystal waveguides were proposed and examined. Measurements include auto- and cross-correlation spectroscopic measurements of femtosecond solitons on-chip, free carrier influences and perturbations on the soliton dynamics, observations of Cherenkov radiation on-chip, and characterization of the group velocity and higher-order dispersion in the slow-light photonic crystal waveguides. The slow-light scaling of the fifth-order nonlinearity, along with the complete numerical simulations matching the measurements nearly completely, is uncovered and demonstrated. We illustrated the higher-order phase matching between solitons and the dispersive Cherenkov emissive wave, on few picojoule pulse energies. The influence of two-photon absorption, Kerr nonlinearity, free-carrier dispersion and absorption are each examined. Broader Impact: this effort represents a route towards chip-scale ultrafast optical communications in a compact highly-dispersive optical delay lines. This project also examines the optical frequency conversion and ultrafast nonlinear optics in subwavelength nanostructures. The program supported the training and education of a PhD student each year, along with research opportunities for undergraduates, and outreach to high-school students. This study at the interface of nanoscale science and engineering with optics and optoelectronics brings scientific and engineering advances for the larger community.
