Single photon nonlinear nanophotonics

非技术描述：非线性光学是现代光学科学和光子技术的重要基础。单光子水平上的强非线性光学效应代表了非线性光学的最终效率，这是许多重要光子功能的关键基础，例如光学晶体管，光子逻辑，节能光子计算，高效单光子转换和检测等等。该研究项目的目标是探索和开发具有变革性的方法，这些方法可能提供前所未有的光学非线性强度，甚至达到单光子水平，远远超过目前的最新技术水平。通过设计微/纳米光子结构，产生有趣的机制来增强非线性波的相互作用，该研究小组旨在为单光子非线性纳米光子学开辟一条变革性研究途径，这对非线性光学、量子光子学、通信、计算和光子信息处理。基础研究结果和器械创新将通过发表的论文传播给更广泛的研究群体;研究成果也将纳入罗切斯特大学PI提供的课程中。 拟议的研究将导致培训研究生和本科生在纳米光子学，非线性光学，量子光子学和光子信号处理的不同跨学科领域。 通过外展计划，该项目还将有助于促进K-12学生的兴趣和参与，并扩大代表性不足的群体的参与。 技术说明：该研究旨在探索和开发变革性的方法，以应对当前在单光子和少数光子水平上实现强光学非线性效应的巨大挑战，这些效应能够在室温，周围环境和宽光谱范围内工作。拟议的研究将利用工程微/纳米光子器件内部新颖的有趣的光-物质相互作用机制，这些机制能够显着增强非线性波相互作用。凭借在纳米光子器件的物理和工程方面的丰富专业知识，PI的团队计划在三年内开展探索性研究，研究这种强单光子和少光子非线性效应的基础物理，开发新的纳米光子器件结构用于强非线性波相互作用，探索非线性光学过程的潜在最终效率极限，该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Non-Technical Description: Nonlinear optics forms a critical foundation for modern optical science and photonic technology. Strong nonlinear optical effects at the single photon level represent the ultimate efficiency of nonlinear optics, which underlies crucially many important photonic functionalities such as optical transistor, photonic logic, energy-efficient photonic computing, high-efficiency single-photon conversion and detection, to name some. The objective of the proposed research project is to explore and develop transformative approaches that potentially offer unprecedented strength of optical nonlinearities down to single photon level, significantly beyond current state of the art. By engineering micro/nano-photonic structures to produce intriguing mechanisms to enhance the nonlinear wave interactions, the PI's group aim to open up a transformative research avenue towards single photon nonlinear nanophotonics that is of immense importance for broad applications in nonlinear optics, quantum photonics, communication, computing, and photonic information processing in general. Fundamental research findings and device innovations will be disseminated to the broader research communities through published papers; the research outcomes will be also incorporated into the courses offered by the PI at the University of Rochester. The proposed research would result in training graduate students and undergraduate students in the diverse interdisciplinary areas of nanophotonics, nonlinear optics, quantum photonics, and photonic signal processing. Through the outreach programs, this project will also help promote the interests and participations of K-12 students, and broaden the participations from underrepresented groups. Technical Description: The proposed research aims to explore and develop transformative approaches to tackle the current grand challenge in realizing strong optical nonlinear effects at the single photon and few photon level that are able to operate at room temperature, at ambient environment, and over broad spectral band. The proposed research will leverage novel intriguing light-matter interaction mechanisms inside engineered micro/nano-photonic devices that are able to significantly enhance nonlinear wave interactions. With strong expertise in both the physics and engineering of nanophotonic devices, the PI's group plan to carry out explorative research within the three-year effort, to study the fundamental physics underlying such strong single-photon and few-photon nonlinear effects, to develop novel nanophotonic device structures for strong nonlinear wave interactions, to explore the potential ultimate efficiency limit of nonlinear optical processes, to develop applications based upon these extremely strong optical nonlinearities.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.