FRG: A Mechanical Signature of the Polarization of Light: The Opto-Mechanical Effect in Glass

先进光子学的许多应用需要将光信号转换为机械信号。 目前，这种信号转换仅在中间使用适当的电子设备的情况下才能完成，这需要相当大的成本和信号质量的损失。 硫系（AsSe）玻璃薄膜中的光机械效应（OME）的最新报道预示了将光学信息忠实地转换为机械信号的可能性，而不需要电子学的干预。 OME还显示出在纳米器件如纳米致动器、纳米传感器、纳米开关等方面的潜在用途。显然，OME的发现具有开创材料科学新领域的潜力，并对技术产生重大影响。 然而，目前甚至定义参数和OME的基本起源都不知道。 这是本专题研究小组（FRG）提案的主题。它是建立在不到一年前NSF为利哈伊实验提供的探索性研究小额赠款（SGER）的初步成功基础上的，该研究是与发现该效应的剑桥小组合作进行的。 从该项目中，通过将理论模拟与玻璃电子和物理结构的光致变化的实验观察相结合，对OME的原子理解，以及对作为各种参数函数的效应的直接观察，将获得。将研究三种模型硫系玻璃系统，目的是利用新的数据开发具有更强效果和更快动力学的上级组合物。 OME是一种矢量光学现象（取决于E矢量），它叠加在标量光诱导的玻璃结构变化上。 使用临时设置，PI将通过同步加速器的偏振X射线建立前者的微观起源。 当然，对标量效应的理解将是一个有价值的副产品，这将有助于阐明类似玻璃中的各种其他光致现象，例如光致暗化、光膨胀、光熔化、光塑性、光结晶等。该项目将研究一种新发现的现象，即玻璃中的光机械效应。 这一新现象有可能从根本上提高电信质量。 此外，它在非常小的设备中具有潜在的应用。 该项目结合了两个实验组（H。利哈伊大学的杰恩和S.R. Elliott在英国剑桥大学）和一个理论小组（D.A. Drabold在俄亥俄州大学）作为主要研究者。它还将为一些学生和博士后提供一个将实验与理论相结合的国际跨学科材料研究的不寻常机会。 学生将定期见面和交换地点，并在三个PI的监督下进行工作。 该重点研究小组项目由材料研究部的陶瓷计划和数学和物理科学局的多学科活动办公室共同资助。

Numerous applications of advanced photonics require conversion of an optical signal to mechanical signal. Currently such signal transformation is accomplished only with the intermediate use of appropriate electronics at a significant cost and loss of signal quality. The recent report of the opto-mechanical effect (OME) in a chalcogenide (AsSe) glass film predicts the possibility of faithfully transforming optical information into mechanical signal, bypassing the intervention of electronics. The OME also shows potential use in nano-devices such as nano- actuators, nano-sensors, nano-switches etc. Clearly, the discovery of OME has potential of starting a new area of materials science and make significant impact on technology. However, at present even the defining parameters and the fundamental origin of OME are not known. They are the subject of this Focused Research Group (FRG) proposal. It is built on the initial success of a Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER) provided by NSF less than a year ago for experiments at Lehigh, in collaboration with the Cambridge group that discovered the effect. From the project, an atomistic understanding of OME by combining theoretical simulations with the experimental observations of light-induced changes in the electronic and physical structures of glass, and the direct observations of the effect as a function of various parameters will be obtained. Three model chalcogenide glass systems will be studied, with the intent of using the new data for developing superior compositions with stronger effect and faster kinetics. The OME is a vector optical phenomenon (depending on the E vector), which is superimposed on scalar light-induced changes in the structure of glass. Using an improvised setup, the PIs will establish the microscopic origin of the former by polarized x-rays from a synchrotron. Naturally the understanding of scalar effects will be a valuable byproduct, which will help clarify various other light-induced phenomena in similar glasses, such as photo-darkening, photo-expansion, photo-melting, photo-plasticity, photo-crystallization, etc. This project will study a newly discovered phenomenon, the optomechnical effect, in glasses. This new phenomenon has potential to radically improve the quality of telecommunications. In addition, it has potential applications in extremely small devices. The project combines complementary expertise of two experimental groups (H. Jain at Lehigh University and S.R. Elliott at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom) and one theory group (D.A. Drabold at Ohio University) as Principal Investigators. It will also provide to several students and postdocs an unusual opportunity for international, interdisciplinary materials research integrating experiments with theory. The students will periodically meet and exchange places and conduct work under the supervision of the three PIs. This Focussed Research Group project is co-funded by the Ceramics Program in the Division of Materials Research and the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences.***