Collaborative Research: OAM photonics: Sensing and Imaging Enabled by Orbital Angular Momentum of Light

非技术摘要：最近发现的“扭曲光”非常令人兴奋，因为它具有从高分辨率生物成像到增加通信带宽的潜在应用。此外，扭曲的光携带轨道角动量，可以用来旋转微型机器或与旋转的物体相互作用。然而，由于产生扭曲光的复杂而昂贵的技术，这些能力的实现已经放缓。这项研究将通过展示简单、可靠、廉价的方法来产生、控制和探测具有轨道角动量的光，从而解决这一挑战。具体来说，研究人员建议使用廉价的商用光纤来产生可调谐的扭曲光。这种简单技术的优势将通过开发改进的传感和成像技术来证明，这些技术可以使用扭曲的光。通过使扭曲光源和测量廉价可靠，这项工作有可能广泛影响工程、物理和材料科学领域。研究成果将通过外展活动和研究机会传播给K-12学生、大学生和研究生。技术摘要：自1992年发现光的轨道角动量以来，已经提出了许多具有高影响力的应用，包括超越衍射极限的生物成像和通过轨道角动量通道复用的更快通信。然而，由于产生扭曲光的方法复杂而昂贵，这些应用的实现一直被放慢。本研究将探讨光的轨道角动量的可控操纵，使用一种简单而优雅的方法：多模光纤。由此产生的扭曲光源将用于展示一类新的轨道角动量光子学应用，包括传感和成像。这项研究将导致扭曲光研究和应用开发的范式转变：从自定义相板和编程空间光调制器的自上而下的方法，到自下而上的方法，包括对简单光学元件的仔细控制。这种新的自下而上的方法代表了产生具有轨道角动量的光的工具和技术的巨大转变，第二代操作将为各种扭曲光子学应用提供手段。光的轨道角动量在传感、超分辨率显微镜、非线性光学和磁学方面的新应用也将被展示。这项研究将对从物理到工程到材料科学的许多领域产生重大影响。

Abstract Title: OAM photonics: Sensing and Imaging Enhanced by Orbital Angular Momentum of LightNontechnical abstract: The recent discovery of "twisted light" is very exciting because of the potential applications ranging from high-resolution biological imaging to increased bandwidth for communications. Additionally, twisted light carries orbital angular momentum, which can be used to spin micromachines or can interact with rotating objects. However, realization of these capabilities has been slowed by the complicated and expensive techniques for generating twisted light. This research will address this challenge by demonstrating simple, reliable, and inexpensive ways to generate, control, and detect light with orbital angular momentum. Specifically, the researchers propose to use inexpensive and commercially-available optical fiber to generate tunable twisted light. The advantages of this simple technique will then be demonstrated by developing improved sensing and imaging technologies that are enabled with the use of twisted light. This work has the potential to broadly impact the fields of engineering, physics and materials science by making twisted light sources and measurements inexpensive and reliable. Research results will disseminated to K-12 students, college and graduate students through outreach activities and research opportunities.Technical abstract: Since the discovery of the orbital angular momentum of light in 1992, numerous high-impact applications have been suggested, including biological imaging beyond the diffraction limit and faster communications through multiplexing with orbital angular momentum channels. However, implementation of these applications has been slowed by the complicated and expensive methods of generating twisted light. The proposed research will investigate the controllable manipulation of orbital angular momentum of light using a simple and elegant approach: multimode optical fiber. The resulting twisted light sources will be used to demonstrate a new class of orbital angular momentum-enabled photonics applications, including sensing and imaging. This research will result in a paradigm shift in research and application development with twisted light: away from the top-down methods of custom phase-plates and programmed spatial light modulators, and toward a bottom-up approach involving careful control of simple optical elements. This new bottom-up approach represents a dramatic shift in the tools and techniques for generating light with orbital angular momentum, a second generation of manipulation that will provide the means for a variety of twist-enabled photonics applications. New applications of the orbital angular momentum of light in sensing, super-resolution microscopy, nonlinear optics, and magnetism will also be demonstrated. The research will have high impact on a number of fields ranging from physics to engineering to materials science.