Light-path engineering in disordered waveguiding systems

利用波导互连的集成光子器件，通过数值设计和实验实现，可以方便地实现光学系统中传播模式与物质之间的相互作用。特别是可靠的纳米制造方法允许实验扫描相关参数空间，并提供高再现性的设备，从而为计算机辅助光子设计提供可靠的实验测试平台。将不同的光学元件密集集成到完整的系统中，可以创建具有紧凑足迹的设备，该设备已被用于设计功能系统。传统上高度优化的功能光学元件被用于系统设计，而无序光学元件增加了额外的光子自由度，以克服光带宽、灵敏度和紧凑性的限制。这些调谐旋钮对经典光学以及在单光子状态下工作的设备的应用都很感兴趣。在第一个资助期，我们专注于利用无序设计紧凑的频谱选择系统，该系统利用无序波导使宽带功能元件直接受益于光子不规则性。在实现了有效的实验方法来实现无序器件的物理实现和结合数值和理论方法来研究无序元件的理论研究之后，我们将在这些结果的基础上实现功能系统，为研究光的基本特性提供途径。具体来说，我们将从经典光学器件转向研究单光子通过无序波导结构的传播。无序介质将分析非经典多径干涉和随机系统中的单光子散射。基于超导纳米线的宽带单光子探测器将补充经典状态下的宽带操作。由于光子元件和有源单光子元件的可扩展制造方法，我们将特别关注多探测器架构，以利用成像应用的无序性，以及利用随机散斑模式来提高基于光纤的波形变换的空间分辨率。这些目标将通过联盟内部在理论和实验层面的密切合作来实现。通过结合理论分析/模拟和实验验证，新一代平面单光子器件将从无序介质中获取功能。利用理论研究和光子工程的协同作用，将导致在经典光学和基础科学应用中实现紧凑波导器件和新型单光子元件的范式转变。

Integrated photonic devices interconnected by waveguides enable the realization of optical systems in which the interaction between propagating optical modes and matter can be conveniently engineered by joint numerical design and experimental implementation. Reliable nanofabrication method in particular allow for experimentally scanning relevant parameter spaces and provide devices with high reproducibility, thus supplementing computer aided photonic design with a reliable experimental testbed. The dense integration of different optical elements into complete systems allows for creating devices with compact footprint which has been exploited to devise functional systems. While traditionally highly optimized functional optical elements have been used for system design, disordered optical elements add additional photonic degrees of freedom to overcome limitations in optical bandwidth, sensitivity and compactness. These tuning knobs are of interest for applications both in classical optics, as well as for devices that operate in the single photon regime. In the first funding period we have focused on harnessing disorder to design compact spectrally selective systems which exploit disordered waveguides to enable broadband functional elements that directly benefit from photonic irregularities. Having implemented both efficient experimental approaches for the physical implementation of disordered devices and combined numerical and theoretical approaches for the theoretical study of disordered components, we will build on these results to realize functional systems that provide access to study fundamental properties of light. Specifically, we will move from classical optical devices to study single photon propagation through disordered waveguide structures. Disordered media will be analyzed for non-classical multi-path interference as well as for single photon scattering in randomized systems. Broadband operation in the classical regime will be complemented with broadband single photon detectors based on superconducting nanowires. Because of scalable fabrication approaches both for photonic components and active single photon elements, we will in particular focus on multi-detector architectures to harness disorder for imaging applications, as well as to exploit random speckle patterns to increase spatial resolution of fiber-based waveform transformations. These goals will be achieved through close collaboration within the consortium, both on a theoretical as well as an experimental level. By combining theoretical analysis/simulation and experimental verification a new generation of planar single photon devices will be created that harvest functionality from disordered media. Using synergies from theoretical studies and photon engineering will lead to a paradigm shift for implementing compact waveguide devices and novel single photon components for applications in classical optics and fundamental science.