Anderson's devices: using disorder for functionality in photonics

该项目的目标是开发一类新的光子电路和设备的大的复杂性，其中无序可以利用和控制，用于可重构的光缓冲器，开关和波长转换器。这些硅基安德森的设备将包括数百个单独的元素，如谐振器，耦合器，顺序抽头等，这样的大型电路代表了一个订单的数量级先进的复杂性，从国家的最先进的，并有必要仔细注意的影响和补救措施引起的不完美的光刻或计算限制在设计过程中的障碍。智力优点：该提案解决的主要挑战是如何设计，测试和演示可以承受甚至利用无序的光子器件。我们的方法的关键在于利用无序有用的行为，如动态控制的安德森本地化的光，或超低能量的非线性光学开关。本计画将有助于弥补光学元件工程与凝聚态物理之间的差距，并增进我们对光量子在微影图案化结构中合作行为的了解。这些器件可用于包长开关、延迟线和新型“安德森光存储器”。更广泛的影响：PI在本项目期间承诺支持博士后研究人员的指导和职业发展。教育活动包括开发一门新的专题研究生课程，为此将编写课程材料并在互联网上免费提供，PI将编写关于微谐振器的教科书，并为代表性不足的群体提供跨学科教育和培训机会。

The goal of this project is to develop a new class of photonic circuits and devices of large complexity, in which disorder can be harnessed and controlled, for use as reconfigurable optical buffers, switches, and wavelength converters. These silicon-based Anderson's devices will comprise hundreds of individual elements, such as resonators, couplers, sequential taps etc. Such large circuits represent an orders-of-magnitude advance in complexity from the state-of-the-art, and necessitate careful attention to the effects and remedies of disorder induced by imperfect lithography or computational limitations in the design process. Intellectual merit: The major challenge addressed by this proposal is how to design for, test and demonstrate photonic devices which can withstand and even utilize disorder. The key of our approach lies in utilizing disorder for useful behavior, such as dynamically-controlled Anderson localization of light, or ultra-low energy nonlinear optical switching. This project may help bridge the gap between optical device engineering and condensed matter physics, and advance our understanding of the cooperative behavior of photons in lithographically patterned structures. These devices can be used for packet-length switches, delay lines, and a novel "Anderson optical memory".Broader impact: The PI commits during this project to support the mentoring and career-development of a post-doctoral researcher. Educational activities include development of a new special-topics graduate-level course for which course materials will be prepared and made freely available on the internet, the PI will work on a textbook on Micro-resonators, and opportunities will be provided for interdisciplinary education and training of underrepresented groups.