Harnessing and controlling light is essential for the advancement of technology in various fields such as energy harvesting, computation, communications, and biomedical sensing. However, the complex behavior of light poses challenges for its efficient control. In a recent study published in Nature Physics, researchers at the CUNY Graduate Center have developed a new platform that allows for the control of light’s chaotic behavior by manipulating its scattering patterns.
Physicist Andrea Alù compares the behavior of light in chaotic systems to the initial break shot in a game of billiards. Just like tiny variations in launching the cue ball lead to different patterns of the balls bouncing on the table, light rays exhibit similar chaotic behaviors in a cavity. This makes it difficult to predict and model the outcome of experiments due to the variability in response.
Conventional platforms for studying light’s behavior typically use circular or regularly shaped resonant cavities, where light bounces and scatters predictably. However, these platforms fail to capture the full complexity of light’s behavior in more intricate systems. To address this, the research team designed a large stadium-shaped cavity with an open top and two channels on opposing sides. This design allows for the control of light scattering by leveraging the interference between two beams entering the cavity.
By adjusting the intensity and delay of the light beams entering the two channels, researchers were able to consistently alter the light’s radiation pattern outside the cavity. This control was achieved through a rare behavior of light in resonant cavities known as “reflectionless scattering modes” (RSMs). These modes had been theoretically predicted but had not been observed before in optical cavity systems. The ability to manipulate RSMs enables efficient excitation and control of complex optical systems, with implications for energy storage, computing, and signal processing.
The findings of the study have significant implications for the storage, routing, and control of light signals in complex optical platforms. The researchers discovered that their system can support two independent, overlapping RSMs at certain frequencies. This allows all of the light to enter the stadium cavity without reflections back to the channel ports, enabling effective control. With optical signals within the bandwidth of optical fibers commonly used in daily life, this discovery opens up new possibilities for improving the storage, routing, and control of light signals in various optical systems.
The research team plans to further explore the behavior of light in complex systems by incorporating additional knobs in their studies. These knobs will provide more degrees of freedom to unravel further complexities in light’s behavior. By expanding the ability to control and manipulate light in chaotic systems, advancements in energy storage, computing, and signal processing can be achieved.
The control and manipulation of light in chaotic systems pose significant challenges due to the complex behavior of light. However, through the development of a novel platform and the discovery of reflectionless scattering modes, researchers at the CUNY Graduate Center have demonstrated a breakthrough in controlling light’s behavior in intricate optical systems. These findings have broad implications for various fields and pave the way for more efficient storage, routing, and control of light signals. As further advancements are made in understanding and manipulating light, the potential for technological innovation and development will continue to expand.
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