Optical Mushroom: A New Trick for Directional Emission
10/12/2009
Yale researchers have found a new way to efficiently direct the light emitted from an optical microcavity for potential application in integrated photonic circuits, microlasers, and cutting-edge on-chip devices for communications.
The price of efficiently trapping light, however, is usually isotropic emission – meaning a small amount of light is lost equally in all directions. This makes extraction and collection of the light inefficient and, therefore, limits the usefulness of such small devices in the design of lasers and other technologies.
As featured on the cover of the October 9, 2009, issue of Physical Review Letters, in collaboration with Adilson Motter, professor of physics and astronomy at Northwestern University, professor of applied physics, Hui Cao, has found a new way to direct or concentrate the emission of light using a mushroom-shaped optical microcavity. According to lead author, Jonathan Andreasen, the mushroom cavity employs a new trick for increasing the emission of light in two directions while reducing it in all others.
While the applications for this research are yet to be tested, Cao acknowledges that this is an important and intrinsically appealing new effect in optical physics.
For more information, contact Thea Reilkoff, SEAS Director of External Relations at (203) 432-4244 or thea.reilkoff@yale.edu.
