CAREER: Topological Engineering for Active Photonic Structures and Devices

University Of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA

Investigators

Abstract

Photonics has yielded important technological breakthroughs in novel information processing, switching and routing for high-speed computing and communication systems. Active photonic structures built upon optical gain materials (e.g. lasers and amplifiers) are the key drivers over other passive components in photonic applications. Novel approaches towards unique active photonic functionalities become necessary to further advance modern information systems. In this project, the PI will leverage the state-of-the-art integrated photonics technology to develop a disruptive topological photonic platform. The novel topological engineering of light propagation offers an unprecedented perspective to further expand the design methodology of active photonic structures, enabling a wide range of applications in optical communication and computing. This research is closely integrated with the existing educational activities, stimulating undergraduate and graduate students to pursue engineering career by exposing them to the exciting development of active nanophotonic devices solving important societal problems in optical computing, communication, and networking. The educational outreach activities will also be provided to promote the interests and participations of K-12 students and broaden the participations from underrepresented groups. Technical description: The PI will develop disruptive active photonic technologies via strategic configurations of optical gain and loss in a topological manner. This can deliver a great variety of unprecedented freedoms in manipulating light for modern photonic applications and thus revolutionizing next generation of photonics-based information systems, advancing on-chip optical switching, routing, lasing, and division multiplexing. Coupled with optical gain/loss, the actively controlled topology of the photonic devices offers robust light routing in a flexible and reconfigurable manner. Also under investigation is how active optical gain/loss manipulation can be strategically controlled to create a new class of imaginary-gauged topological photonic lasers, where the chirality of laser oscillation can be conveniently switched to better control the topological photonic routing. Exploratory photonic research based on an innovative Dirac formalism will be conducted to create a more versatile topological photonic platform for, in particular, topological mode creation and addition in a flexible manner, which will enable robust mode division multiplexing to increase information capacity. 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.