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终极效率，这是许多重要的光子功能的基础，如光学晶体管、光子逻辑、能效光子计算、高效的单光子转换和检测等等。这项拟议的研究项目的目标是探索和开发变革性的方法，这些方法可能提供前所未有的光学非线性强度，低至单光子水平，远远超出当前的技术水平。通过设计微/纳米光子结构来产生有趣的机制来增强非线性波相互作用，PI的团队旨在开辟一条通往单光子非线性纳米光子学的变革性研究途径，这对非线性光学、量子光子学、通信、计算和光子信息处理等领域的广泛应用具有非常重要的意义。基础研究成果和设备创新将通过发表的论文传播给更广泛的研究社区；研究成果也将被纳入罗切斯特大学PI提供的课程。这项拟议的研究将在纳米光子学、非线性光学、量子光子学和光子信号处理等不同的跨学科领域培养研究生和本科生。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，并扩大代表不足的群体的参与。技术描述：这项拟议的研究旨在探索和开发变革性的方法，以应对当前的重大挑战，即实现能够在室温、环境和宽带下工作的单光子和少光子水平的强光学非线性效应。这项拟议的研究将利用工程化微/纳米光子器件中新的有趣的光-物质相互作用机制，这些机制能够显著增强非线性波相互作用。在纳米光子器件的物理和工程方面拥有丰富的专业知识，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背后的基本物理，开发用于强非线性波相互作用的新型纳米光子器件结构，探索非线性光学过程的潜在最终效率极限，开发基于这些极强光学非线性的应用程序。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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.