Generation and Control of Pseudospin-mediated Vortices in Photonic Graphene

Abstract

The objective of this proposal is to develop innovative techniques to optically induce various 2D graphene-like photonic lattices and to explore fundamental issues of wave propagation in these photonic structures. In prior projects funded by AFOSR, the P.I.’s group has investigated wave dynamics mainly in 2D square lattices with engineered coupling, which has merited numerous publications. This project will focus on some fundamental issues such as edge states and “pseudospin” states in 2D artificial photonic graphene. Proposed activities include optical induction of invariant photonic graphene-like lattices, edge states and their degeneracy in graphene lattices, vortices and pseudospins in graphene lattices, and the Aharonov–Bohm (AB) effects in deformed photonic graphene. These studies will advance the knowledge in several interdisciplinary areas. For instance, the AB effects and electronic edge states were known for decades, but such fundamental phenomena have recently attracted growing interest in optics and other branches of physics. Although performed in a simple optical setting of reconfigurable photonic structures, much of the proposed work will have direct impact on other areas of sciences, ranging from condensed matter physics to hydrodynamics, and to atomic physics such as Bose- Einstein condensates trapped in periodic potentials. In addition, the success of this project will enhance our knowledge and understanding of high-performance nonlinear photonic structures as extraordinary candidates for developing modern optoelectronic and photonic devices. Thus, the proposed concept and approach might be adopted for subsequent DoD applied technology.

Document Details

Document Type
DoD Grant Award
Publication Date
Feb 12, 2016
Source ID
W911NF1510413

Entities

People

  • Zhigang Chen

Organizations

  • Army Contracting Command
  • Office of the Secretary of Defense
  • San Francisco State University

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Graph Algorithms and Convex Optimization.
  • Quantum Dot Semiconductor Device Photonics and Graphene Optoelectronic Materials and THz Physics.

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics
  • Microelectronics - Graphene