Periodic Reporting for period 4 - SCORPION (Strongly CORrelated Polaritons In Optoelectronic Nanostructures)
Berichtszeitraum: 2024-07-01 bis 2025-06-30
The transport of energy and information in light and matter underlies numerous technologies and even our existence. Research in this ERC-funded project was driven by the conviction that the most effective mechanisms for energy and information flow are still poorly understood or unknown. Consider, for example, that humanity’s light-based technologies generally avoid energy loss and noise. In contrast, certain biological systems can transport energy with extraordinarily high efficiency while being lossy and and strongly influenced by noise. Indeed, a combination of losing strategies becomes a winning strategy according to Parrondo’s paradox in game theory.
Motivated by the above recognition, the group implementing this project investigated optical systems where loss and noise can synergistically enhance the transport of energy and information in light. The system they studied is an optical cavity formed by two mirrors. The mirrors are roughly a micrometer apart and face each other. Light can bounce back and forth between the two mirrors thousands of times. In between the mirrors, they placed materials which can interact strongly with the trapped light. Out of this interaction, a system with enhanced flow of energy and information in light emerges.
The researchers uncovered several new mechanisms enhancing the transport of energy and information in light-matter systems. They demonstrated how loss and noise can, together, be a resource for optical technologies such as sensors. While this action focused on proof-of-principle experiments elucidating the fundamental physics at play, several ideas for improving the performance of optical technologies relevant to computation and sensing emerged. This ideas push the state of the art in physics and optics, and have the potential to guide the design of optical devices with greater energy efficiency, speed, and precision.
Motivated by the above recognition, the group implementing this project investigated optical systems where loss and noise can synergistically enhance the transport of energy and information in light. The system they studied is an optical cavity formed by two mirrors. The mirrors are roughly a micrometer apart and face each other. Light can bounce back and forth between the two mirrors thousands of times. In between the mirrors, they placed materials which can interact strongly with the trapped light. Out of this interaction, a system with enhanced flow of energy and information in light emerges.
The researchers uncovered several new mechanisms enhancing the transport of energy and information in light-matter systems. They demonstrated how loss and noise can, together, be a resource for optical technologies such as sensors. While this action focused on proof-of-principle experiments elucidating the fundamental physics at play, several ideas for improving the performance of optical technologies relevant to computation and sensing emerged. This ideas push the state of the art in physics and optics, and have the potential to guide the design of optical devices with greater energy efficiency, speed, and precision.
This project investigated emergent phenomena in systems where light and matter interact strongly. To make this possible, the researchers developed worldwide unique experimental setups. Their setups enable them to precisely measure optical properties of nanoscale materials inside cavities, and to tune the strength of light-matter interactions in situ. Moreover, they have developed theoretical and numerical methods to describe the systems they study, and to predict fundamentally-interesting and technologically-relevant behavior.
One of the grand challenges in the field of the project is to realize sufficiently strong optical nonlinearities allowing light to be controlled with light in arbitrary ways. The researchers have already realized such strong nonlinearities in novel material systems. This has only been possible thanks to the unique experimental platform the researchers have developed. These recently-discovered nonlinearities have allowed the researchers to, for example, observe frictionless flow of light, to discover emergent phenomena about the direction of information flow in complex systems, and to discovered unexpected phase transitions in an important class of materials known as perovksites. In addition, the researchers have theoretically demonstrated information-processing optical devices based on their nonlinear system.
The researchers have already published many of the results mentioned above (and others omitted for brevity) in leading peer-reviewed scientific journals. Several other manuscripts are under preparation. In addition, the researchers have presented (and will continue to do so) several of their results at world-leading international scientific conferences and workshops.
One of the grand challenges in the field of the project is to realize sufficiently strong optical nonlinearities allowing light to be controlled with light in arbitrary ways. The researchers have already realized such strong nonlinearities in novel material systems. This has only been possible thanks to the unique experimental platform the researchers have developed. These recently-discovered nonlinearities have allowed the researchers to, for example, observe frictionless flow of light, to discover emergent phenomena about the direction of information flow in complex systems, and to discovered unexpected phase transitions in an important class of materials known as perovksites. In addition, the researchers have theoretically demonstrated information-processing optical devices based on their nonlinear system.
The researchers have already published many of the results mentioned above (and others omitted for brevity) in leading peer-reviewed scientific journals. Several other manuscripts are under preparation. In addition, the researchers have presented (and will continue to do so) several of their results at world-leading international scientific conferences and workshops.
This project has pushed the state of the art in various ways. The researchers have achieved conceptual breakthroughs along the lines discussed above. They have built experimental systems with unique capabilities. In turn, these capabilities have enabled them to discover intriguing phenomena emerging from strong light-matter interactions. Such phenomena are not only relevant to fundamental physics research, but also to optoelectronic technologies. Below we discuss a few highlights of these state-of-the-art achievements.
The conceptual breakthroughs the researchers have achieved relate to new ways of processing information in optical systems. For example, they have recently shown how the strong optical nonlinearities discussed above can be used to realize optical sensors with unprecedented precision and speed. In addition, the experimental setups they have built push the state of the art in at least two important ways. First, by making a tunable optical cavity inside a closed-cycle cryostat (allowing them to reach temperatures down to -269 C), they can control light-matter interactions with unprecedented precision, at low-temperatures, and without constantly consuming helium. This is a technologically important achievement with major implications for physics research. In particular, this setup has enabled them to progress beyond the state of the art in their field by discovering a new class of materials with exceptionally strong nonlinearity; these materials only have this nonlinearity at low temperatures.
Regarding the discovery of phenomena emerging from strong light-matter interactions, the researchers pushed the state of the art in a couple of ways. An important discovery thus far is that light can flow without friction, in a state known as superfluidity, even when the optical system in which this occurs is operated at room temperature. The paradigm by which they realized this effect is new, and the room-temperature operation of their system brings the physics of supercurrents a step closer to applications. Another highlight of this project is the discovery of strong nonlinearities in an important class of materials known as halide perovskites. Those nonlinearities enabled the researchers to demonstrate how to control the state of light in an all optical way. Via the nonlinearity, they also discovered an unexpected phase transition that reveals fascinating properties of halide perovskites. All these results are expect to stimulate further research and ideas for applications in optoelectronics and beyond.
The conceptual breakthroughs the researchers have achieved relate to new ways of processing information in optical systems. For example, they have recently shown how the strong optical nonlinearities discussed above can be used to realize optical sensors with unprecedented precision and speed. In addition, the experimental setups they have built push the state of the art in at least two important ways. First, by making a tunable optical cavity inside a closed-cycle cryostat (allowing them to reach temperatures down to -269 C), they can control light-matter interactions with unprecedented precision, at low-temperatures, and without constantly consuming helium. This is a technologically important achievement with major implications for physics research. In particular, this setup has enabled them to progress beyond the state of the art in their field by discovering a new class of materials with exceptionally strong nonlinearity; these materials only have this nonlinearity at low temperatures.
Regarding the discovery of phenomena emerging from strong light-matter interactions, the researchers pushed the state of the art in a couple of ways. An important discovery thus far is that light can flow without friction, in a state known as superfluidity, even when the optical system in which this occurs is operated at room temperature. The paradigm by which they realized this effect is new, and the room-temperature operation of their system brings the physics of supercurrents a step closer to applications. Another highlight of this project is the discovery of strong nonlinearities in an important class of materials known as halide perovskites. Those nonlinearities enabled the researchers to demonstrate how to control the state of light in an all optical way. Via the nonlinearity, they also discovered an unexpected phase transition that reveals fascinating properties of halide perovskites. All these results are expect to stimulate further research and ideas for applications in optoelectronics and beyond.