Light-processable photonic crystals

Slow light in photonic crystals

The velocity of light in vacuum, c, is approximately 3 × 108 m s–1, fast enough to make 7.5 round-the-world trips in a single second, and to move a distance of 300 mm in 1 ns. This ultrahigh speed is advantageous for efficient data transmission between two points, whether they are separated on a global scale or on a single chip; however, it also makes control of optical signals in the time doma...

Photonic crystals boost light emission

Light sources inside photonic crystals

We have measured the optical fluorescence spectra of dye incorporated in high-quality photonic crystals made from colloids. The spectra reveal a stopgap that is due to Bragg reflection with strikingly reduced attenuation compared with plane-wave transmission. The modified attenuation is independent of the position of the sources in the sample and is brought about by diffuse scattering from defe...

Slow light in photonic crystals

The problem of slowing down light by orders of magnitude has been extensively discussed in the literature. Such a possibility can be useful in a variety of optical and microwave applications. Many qualitatively different approaches have been explored. Here we discuss how this goal can be achieved in linear dispersive media, such as photonic crystals. The existence of slowly propagating electrom...

Atom-light interactions in photonic crystals.

The integration of nanophotonics and atomic physics has been a long-sought goal that would open new frontiers for optical physics, including novel quantum transport and many-body phenomena with photon-mediated atomic interactions. Reaching this goal requires surmounting diverse challenges in nanofabrication and atomic manipulation. Here we report the development of a novel integrated optical ci...