9510460 Watson Colloidal crystals, fabricated from microsphere dielectric particles, can be tailored to satisfy the Bragg condition for visible and near infrared light. The interaction of light with the optical lattice results in photonic band structure that is analogous to electronic band structure in atomic crystals. Spectroscopic and interferometric determination of photonic band structure will be extended from the visible to the near infrared. In addition to continued investigation of photonic band structure in theses crystals and its implications for photon localization, new initiatives include the study of (1) impurity modes in photonic stop bands and (2) interaction of band structure effects and nonlinear optical properties. %%% The technological developments of the past 50 years, initiated with the invention of the transistor, were possible only by the extensive and continued research of the physical properties of semiconductor materials. Future photonic analogs of today's electronic devices, where light action replaces that of the electron, may sustain these technological advancements at the current rate. The behavior of light in photonics crystals wil l be experimentally studied by numerous optical methods in an attempt to understand the issues of photon transport and localization in future devices, and its relationship to electron transport and localization in current devices.***
