Collaborative Research: Anomalous Transport and Wavefront Shaping in Complex Photonic Media

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****Technical Abstract****Compared to electronic systems, the robustness of coherence effects for photons at room temperature highlights the suitability of optical systems for fundamental studies of mesoscopic wave transport and also points to practical applications. This award supports a collaborative research program between an experimental group and a theoretical group to conduct systematic experimental and theoretical investigations on mesoscopic transport of light in aperiodic dielectric structures, with the goal of acquiring fundamental understanding of the effects of structural correlations on multiple scattering and localization in complex photonic systems that lie in-between random and periodic structures. Complex structural correlations in the aperiodic systems are expected to break the limitations imposed by the universal optimal transmission on fully random systems, thus providing additional degrees of freedom for control of mesoscopic transport via wave front shaping. The non-universality of wave transport will be exploited to achieve unprecedented control of light propagation via wave front shaping, including enhancement of light transmission, steering of output beams, and selective delivery of optical energy. The collaborative experimental-theoretical program will train graduate and undergraduate students to conduct interdisciplinary research across the evolving boundaries of multiple fields, including condensed matter physics, optics of complex media, nanotechnology, and computational physics. The cutting-edge research will be incorporated in the curriculum at both participating institutions.****Non-Technical Abstract****Rapid advances in nanotechnology have enabled the fabrication of micro- and nano-photonic structures with high degree of precision. Joined experimental and theoretical effort aims to uncover unusual optical properties of nano-structures that are neither completely disordered nor perfectly ordered. Instead, the so-called deterministic aperiodic nano-structures are defined by the iteration of simple mathematical rules. These artificial photonic materials span the entire spectrum in a hierarchy of complexity all the way from random to periodic structures. Because of their structural distinction and unusual physical properties, the aperiodic systems have been called the third form of solid matter. The project aims to design and fabricate artificial photonic nano-materials with prescribed transport properties. Because the structures are known a priori, it will be possible to obtain predictable and reproducible transport behaviors by controlling the incident light. This control is expected to lead to enhancement of light transmission, steering of output beams, and selective delivery of optical energy to targeted area. The outcome of this research may have a wide range of applications from biomedical imaging and photodynamic therapy, to laser trapping and micro-manipulation. The experimental-theoretical program will train students in interdisciplinary research across the evolving boundaries of multiple fields, including condensed matter physics, nanotechnology, and computational physics. The cutting-edge research will be incorporated in the curriculum at both institutions.