Controlling and enhancing optical gradient forces in integrated optomechanical devices

目的：利用光波导色散控制光路中的光梯度力，利用等离子体效应增强光梯度力，创造新型的谐振光机械器件。光学梯度力可以通过光在集成光学部件之间产生，并被用来控制这些部件的光学和机械行为。由此产生的集成光学机械装置为研究光学和机械之间的耦合提供了一个迷人的系统。智力上的优点：智力上的优点是研究新的方法，如波导色散和等离子体效应，以操纵和增强光学梯度力，并探索新的应用。由色散特性非常不同的耦合波导组成的非谐振光机械系统将被用来控制通过波长和偏振的光学梯度力。混合等离子体光波导被提出通过更强的瞬变场和更大的场梯度来增强光学力。更广泛的影响：更广泛的影响是为信息处理和基础物理创造新的设备。拟议的研究结果将对许多学科产生重大影响，如光控生物力学操作和检测、光子信息处理和强烈的光-物质相互作用。拟议的教育计划会增加学生人数吗？通过一项将整合研究活动的教育计划和一项将向当地K-12学生传播这项研究的外联计划进行课堂教学。教育和外展活动包括建立跨学科研究计划，发展本科生的研究经验，以及促进代表不足的学生的参与。

Objective: The objective of this program is to control optical gradient forces in lightwave circuits through waveguide dispersion, to enhance optical gradient forces by using plasmonic effects, and to create novel resonant optomechanical devices. Optical gradient forces can be generated between integrated optical components by light and be used to control both optical and mechanical behavior of these components. The resulting integrated optomechanical devices provide a fascinating system to study the coupling between optics and mechanics.Intellectual merit: The intellectual merit is to investigate new methods, such as waveguide dispersion and plasmonic effects, to manipulate and enhance optical gradient forces and explore novel applications. Non-resonant optomechanical systems consisting of coupled waveguides with very different dispersion properties will be used to control optical gradient forces through wavelength and polarization. Hybrid plasmonic waveguides are proposed to enhance optical forces through stronger evanescent fields and larger field gradients. Broader impacts: The broader impacts are to create novel devices for information processing and fundamental physics. The outcome of the proposed research will have significant impacts across many disciplines, such as light-controlled biomechanical manipulation and detection, photonic information processing, and strong light-matter interactions. The proposed education program will augment students? classroom instruction through an education plan that will integrate research activities and an outreach plan that will disseminate this research to local K-12 students. The education and outreach activities include establishing an interdisciplinary research program, developing undergraduate research experiences, and promoting participation of under-represented students.