Photonic crystals and light-matter interactions

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Photonic band gap (PBG) materials are engineered, periodically ordered microstructures that facilitate the trapping and control of light on the microscopic level. These photonic crystals (PC's) have applications to (i) optical communications and information processing on an optical microchip, (ii) novel forms of coherent lighting through micro-lasers and incandescent lighting through metallic PBG filaments (iii) laser light delivery for surgery through hollow core PBG fibers, and (iv) enhanced solar energy trapping and harvesting in PBG thin films. PBG materials are also a platform for fundamental scientific discoveries related to light-matter interactions in their engineered electromagnetic environment. The proposed research program aims to advance both the basic science and practical applications of PBG materials through (i) theoretical design, modeling, and simulation, (ii) collaborative research to synthesize the required functional photonic crystal architectures, and (iii) collaborative optical experiments. It is expected that this research will provide (i) a theoretical road map for the development of all-optical microchips and specific optical information processing devices, (ii) provide a detailed platform for nonstandard applications of photonic crystals such as solar cells and incandescent filaments, and (iii) provide insight into the observation of fundamentally new quantum effects enabled by engineering light-matter interactions in a photonic band gap.