CAREER: Photonics in the Lowest Symmetry Crystals

第1部分：非技术总结控制光的性质对于创造先进技术至关重要，如激光成像、光学生物传感器和量子光学。这些技术都使用精心准备的光波来有效地测量或与我们周围的世界通信。开发这些技术的一个重要部分是开发紧凑和高效的组件，这些组件既可以控制光线的方向，也可以控制光线的方向。每个组件的能力都由其构造中使用的材料以及光线与这些材料的相互作用方式决定。值得注意的是，通过使用非传统材料，科学家可以产生新型的光传播，并使光学元件变得更小和更高效。在这个项目中，研究小组将确定如何使用某些类别的晶体来控制光波的方向和方向。通过将光耦合到一类具有平行六面体结构的晶体，就有可能设计出一种独特的光-物质相互作用，这在结构更简单的材料中是看不到的。通过进行这些研究，首席研究人员和团队将发现利用这类晶体制造光学元件的新设计范例。其中的一个关键部分是开发教育工具，这些工具可以用来教育未来的光子学工作者这些材料是如何工作和可以利用的。我们将专门与两个不同的群体合作-中学和大三本科生，他们通常接受的光子学教育及其对现代技术的影响有限。在前一种情况下，我们将与中学教师密切合作，制定一系列针对课程相关技能的教案，包括光子学的概念。我们与大三本科生的工作将在此基础上进行，将类似研究的项目引入课程，以培养未来量子和半导体劳动力所需的关键分析技能。这些工作将在网上发布，这将允许全国教师访问作为该计划的一部分开发的资源。第2部分：技术总结本研究的重点是了解光如何在低晶体对称性的晶体中传播。将光耦合到具有低对称性的材料上会产生剪切极化子，这种现象可以增强波矢的特定范围和方向；这在更传统的材料中是不可能的。同样，剪切极化子可以提供对偏振态的控制，包括实现具有高角轨道动量的光子的可能性。这种波矢选择性提供了对散射的不敏感性，这将使高效率器件的开发成为可能。然而，显然有必要更好地了解这些形式的材料，以利用其独特的手性特性来控制方向性和偏振的光子学。这项研究旨在提供一个框架，用于识别产生强烈剪切现象的材料，并确定它们如何应用于开发未来的光子技术。天然晶体系统的使用减少了对复杂纳米结构设计的要求，降低了与新现象相关的成本。该团队设想在没有外部光学装置的情况下，通过发射高方向性线性、圆形或涡旋偏振光束的长波红外范围来创造光源。这将通过三个目标来实现。(I)建立一个了解最低对称性晶体中极化子传播和散射的框架，(Ii)展示低对称性激子材料中的不对称光电子发射，(Iii)加强光子材料的教育，以发展未来的量子劳动力的目标。在完成这些目标后，团队将了解关键的材料和光学属性，这将使基于剪切极化子的独特属性的技术开发成为可能。该项目由电子和光子材料(EPM)计划和既定的激励竞争研究计划(EPSCoR)联合资助。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。

PART 1: NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARYControlling the properties of light is critical for creating advanced technologies such as laser imaging, optical biosensors, and quantum optics. These technologies all use carefully prepared light waves to effectively measure or communicate with the world around us. An important part of developing these technologies is developing compact and efficient components which control both direction and orientation of the light. The capabilities of each component are critically determined by the materials used in their construction, and how light interacts with these materials. Notably, by using unconventional materials, scientists can generate new types of light propagation, and make optical components both smaller and more efficient. In this project, the research team will determine how certain classes of crystals can be used to control both direction and orientation of light waves. By coupling light to a class of crystals having a parallelepiped structure, it becomes possible to engineer a unique light-matter interactions not seen in materials with simpler structures. By performing these studies, the principal investigator and team will discover new design paradigms for creating optical components exploiting this class of crystals. A key part of this is developing educational tools which can be used to educate the future photonics workforce on how these materials work and can be utilized. We will specifically work with two different groups – middle school and junior undergraduate students, which typically receive limited education on photonics and the impact on modern technologies. In the former case, we will work closely with middle-school teachers to develop a series of lesson plans to target curriculum relevant skills, including concepts in photonics. Our work with junior undergraduates will then build on this, introducing research-like projects into the curriculum to build key analysis skills required for the future quantum and semiconductor workforces. Those efforts will be distributed online, which will allow teachers nationally to access resources developed as part of this program.PART 2: TECHNICAL SUMMARYThe research focuses on understanding how light can propagate in crystals with low crystalline symmetry. Coupling light to materials with inherently low symmetry produces shear polaritons, a phenomenon that can enhance a specific range and orientation of wave vectors; this is not possible in more conventional materials. Similarly, shear polaritons can offer control over the polarization state, including the potential to realize photons with high angular orbital momentum. This wave vector selectivity offers insensitivity to scattering, which would enable the development of high-efficiency devices. However, there is a clear and critical need to better understand the materials in which these form, to leverage their unique chiral properties for photonics with control over directionality and polarization. This study is designed to provide a framework for identifying materials that produce strong shear phenomena, as well as determining how they can be applied in developing future photonic technologies. The utilization of natural crystal systems reduces the requirements for complex nanostructure designs, reducing the cost associated with the new phenomena. The team envision the creation of light sources through long-wave infrared range that emit with high directionality linear, circular, or vortex polarized beams, in the absence of external optics. This will be achieved over three objectives. (i) Create a framework for understanding polariton propagation and scattering in the lowest symmetry crystals, (ii) Demonstrate polaritonic emission in low symmetry excitonic materials for asymmetric photoemission, (iii) Enhance photonic materials education toward the goal of developing a future quantum workforce. By the end of these objectives, the team will have understood the key material and optical properties, which will enable development of technologies based on the unique properties of shear polaritons.This project is jointly funded by the Electronic and Photonic Materials (EPM) program and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).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.