CAREER: Origins and Applications of Optical Anisotropies in Organic Photonics

非技术描述：半导体材料是现代光子学或光操纵技术（如激光，太阳能电池）的基础。传统的半导体如硅形成晶体，通常具有各向同性的光学特性。有机材料，如塑料，提供了另一种低成本、轻重量和灵活的半导体系统。这些材料由高度不对称的分子组成，这些分子组装成复杂的结构。因此，它们通常表现出高度各向异性的光学特性。这个职业奖的研究部分是研究这些光学各向异性的起源和应用。光学各向异性的新测量方法有助于提供基本的洞察复杂的光学性质的有机材料。反过来，该项目利用光学各向异性来提高有机光子器件的性能。这些科学调查得到各种综合教育和推广目标的补充。一项名为“科学的艺术”（The Art of Science）的新拓展计划探索了艺术与科学之间的交集。学生们将他们的研究成果转化为艺术作品，在公共场所展出，包括圣巴巴拉艺术博物馆。这一倡议通过美学鼓励科学素养和鉴赏，并促进科学作为一种创造性的努力。技术描述：用于光子器件的有机材料经常自组装成高度定向的形态，导致巨大的光学各向异性。本项目的目的是阐明这些各向异性的起源和应用。该方法是：(1)在求解光子动量矢量的基础上发展表征各向异性的新光学方法；(2)识别分子内和分子间发光的时间和光谱特征；(3)量化吸收各向异性，挑战目前流行的有机光学常数模型；(4)将定向有机物与利用各向异性增强薄膜吸收的光伏捕光结构相结合。基础材料的研究为分子间激发提供了新的认识，分子间激发是有机发光二极管和光伏电池中至关重要的，但人们对其知之甚少的中间介质。光子结构的研究描述了通过电磁耦合增强定向光物质相互作用的新方法。

Non-technical Description: Semiconductor materials are the foundation of modern photonics, or light-manipulating technologies (e.g. lasers, solar cells). Conventional semiconductors such as silicon form crystals, often with isotropic optical properties. Organic materials, such as plastics, provide an alternative low-cost, light-weight, and flexible semiconductor system. These materials comprise highly asymmetric molecules that assemble into complex structures. As a result, they often exhibit highly anisotropic optical properties. The research component of this CAREER award is to study the origins and applications of these optical anisotropies. Novel measurement methods of optical anisotropies help to provide fundamental insight into the complex optical properties of organic materials. In turn, this project exploits optical anisotropies to enhance the performance of organic photonic devices. These scientific investigations are complemented by a variety of integrated education and outreach objectives. A new outreach initiative, The Art of Science, explores intersections between art and science. Students turn the products of their research into works of art for exhibition in public venues, including the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. This initiative encourages science literacy and appreciation through aesthetics, and promotes science as a creative endeavor.Technical Description: Organic materials used in photonic devices often self-assemble into highly oriented morphologies, leading to huge optical anisotropies. The objective of this CAREER project is to elucidate the origins and applications of these anisotropies. The approach is to (1) develop new optical methods for characterizing anisotropies based on resolving the photon momentum vector; (2) identify distinct temporal and spectral signatures of intra- and inter-molecular luminescence; (3) quantify absorption anisotropies that challenge currently prevailing models of organic optical constants; and (4) integrate oriented organics with photovoltaic light-trapping architectures that exploit anisotropies to enhance thin-film absorption. Fundamental materials studies provide new understanding of inter-molecular excitations - critical, but poorly understood intermediaries in organic light emitting diodes and photovoltaics. Investigations of photonic architectures delineate new approaches for enhancing oriented light-matter interactions through electromagnetics coupling.