Taming the randomness of random lasers with reconfigurable active particle assemblies

利用可重构的活性粒子组件来驯服随机激光器的随机性

• 批准号: 2303189
• 负责人: Zhiwen Liu
• 金额: $ 45万
• 依托单位: Pennsylvania State Univ University Park
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-09-01 至 2026-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2303189&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Taming; randomness; random; lasers; reconfigurable

This proposed research program aims to develop a novel random laser system with enhanced lasing performance using reconfigurable particle assemblies. A random laser relies on light scattering in an amplifying optical medium to generate lasing emission. Compared to traditional lasers, the random laser has unique features such as low cost in device fabrication and low spatial coherence for speckle-free imaging. However, currently the random laser is still hindered by limited means to “tame the randomness” in its lasing properties (e.g., uncontrolled emission direction, polarization, modal profile etc.), limiting its impact on photonic applications. The goal of the proposed research is to overcome these limitations by developing a reconfigurable random lasing platform with dynamically tunable gain and scattering landscapes for controlling the lasing characteristics, such as threshold, output power, emission directionality and polarization. The proposed method leverages reconfigurable, electric field directed particle assembly to control particle locations and orientations. Spatiotemporal programming of the electric field (e.g., tuning the field gradient, shape, and frequency) coupled with the versatile choice of particle functionalities (e.g., gain, scattering, anisotropy), provides unprecedented capability to control the collective lasing response of particle populations. Three Research Objectives are proposed: (1) Understand and control random lasing in assemblies of scattering particles suspended in dye solution, including control of emission directionality and polarization; (2) Understand and control random lasing in assemblies where both gain and scattering are provided by particles, including one type of particles serving both roles (e.g., ZnO) or different particles combined to serve as gain/scattering and scattering-only components (e.g., ZnO+TiO2); (3) Demonstrate feedback controlled, smart random lasing that can learn to achieve desired lasing properties. The research program will provide cross-disciplinary, team-based training for student researchers to help prepare them as future leaders. It will be integrated with a sustainability-focused Green Lab effort and education activities aimed at training future scientists and engineers. The education plan will support increased diversities and provide opportunities for underrepresented groups as well as K-12 students.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.

这项研究计划旨在开发一种新型的随机激光系统，利用可重构粒子组装体增强激光性能。随机激光器依赖于放大光学介质中的光散射来产生激光发射。与传统激光器相比，随机激光器具有独特的特点，例如器件制造成本低和无散斑成像的空间相干性低。然而，目前随机激光器仍然受到有限手段的阻碍，无法在其激光特性中“驯服随机性”（例如，不受控制的发射方向、偏振、模式轮廓等），限制了其对光子应用的影响。所提出的研究的目标是克服这些限制，通过开发一个可重构的随机激光平台，动态可调增益和散射景观控制激光特性，如阈值，输出功率，发射方向性和偏振。所提出的方法利用可重构的电场引导的粒子组装来控制粒子的位置和取向。电场的时空编程（例如，调整场梯度、形状和频率）加上粒子功能的多种选择（例如，增益、散射、各向异性），提供了前所未有的能力来控制粒子群的集体激光响应。提出了三个研究目标：（1）理解和控制悬浮在染料溶液中的散射粒子组件中的随机激光，包括控制发射方向性和偏振;（2）理解和控制增益和散射都由粒子提供的组件中的随机激光，包括一种类型的粒子担任两种角色（例如，ZnO）或组合以用作增益/散射和仅散射组件的不同颗粒（例如，ZnO+ TiO 2）;（3）展示反馈控制的智能随机激光，其可以学习以实现期望的激光特性。该研究计划将为学生研究人员提供跨学科，以团队为基础的培训，以帮助他们成为未来的领导者。它将与以可持续发展为重点的绿色实验室工作和旨在培训未来科学家和工程师的教育活动相结合。该教育计划将支持增加多样性，并为代表性不足的群体以及K-12学生提供机会。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并且通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响力进行评估，被认为值得支持。审查标准。