CAREER: A Mesoscopic Approach to the Theory of Optical Microcavities

University Of Oregon Eugene, Eugene OR

Investigators

Abstract

O239332 Noeckel The project aims to leverage methods from the theory of mesoscopic systems, quantum chaos and nonlinear dynamics to advance research in microphotonics. Microcavities as building blocks of integrated optical devices form the central application of the proposed research: their spectral, emission and coupling characteristics will be studied with a combination of numerical modeling and approximation methods. Pure numerics encounters resource limitations in large, coupled and fully three-dimensional systems, making approximation schemes crucial for speedy, goal-oriented design. Among the most widely known such schemes is paraxial optics, which however breaks down in the resonator configurations of greatest interest for photonic integration. The lack of reliable analytical treatments in this regime is the central theoretical motivation for the proposed research. Non-paraxiality in microcavities translates into chaotic ray dynamics when considering the short-wavelength or large-size limit; hence, approximations relying on large size-parameters bring insights from nonlinear dynamics to bear on micro-optic design. This parallels developments in mesoscopic electronic physics where similar approximations arise in systems whose size falls into the transition region between quantum and classical mechanics. Based on this connection, a new course to be developed within the Applied Physics Master's program will aim at a unified presentation of photonics and quantum mechanics, utilizing web-based teaching technology. The latter will be tied to web-based dissemination of the numerical and analytical techniques developed in the proposed research, in order to strengthen the student's exposure to issues with broad interest in optics, nanoscience and nonlinear dynamics.