Objective
In recent years there has been an increasing interest in the optical properties of complex dielectric materials. A large research effort is dedicated to periodic structures, also called photonic crystals (PC). These materials have a periodic variation of the refractive index on the length scale of the wavelength of visible or near-infrared light and can be structured at one dimensional (1D), two dimensional (2D), or three dimensional (3D) structures. PCs are expected to have important applications as materials for photonic devices like optical components, and light sources. Properly patterned photonic crystals may exhibit photonic bandgaps. Whereas inside a photonic bandgap optical modes are absent, at the edge of the bandgap the density of optical modes is highly increased. These bandedge states are therefore ideal for the realization of laser cavities. Lasing of bandedge states in patterned materials, both inorganic and organic, doped with laser dye was recently observed. The present proposal is focused on the exploitation of soft materials, namely polymers, liquid crystals (LC) and composites made out of them, for the realization of photonic structures to be employed both as single lasing devices or as part of innovative integrated systems. There is a clear reason for our choice between inorganic and organic materials. Soft materials exhibit very attracting optical/mechanical/chemical/thermal properties and flexible processing techniques. Combined with holographic fabrication techniques, they can be patterned quite easily into many unique structures. Therefore, the proposed activity primarily concerns the investigation of soft matter based photonic structures to realize cheap, compact (i.e. micro-sized), tuneable mirror-less laser sources operating in the visible and NIR regions of the spectrum. The most interesting aspect of these lasing systems is that optical and geometrical parameters can be modified by applying weak external fields (temperature, electric field, mechanical stress, optical field, etc.), hence resulting in a direct control of lasing features (wavelength tunability, bandwidth, emission direction). Several aspects of light transport in such materials are unknown up to know. The new physics underlying the lasing effect in these structures will be studied by custom engineering them and by performing up-to-date optical experiments. Summarising, the proposed research activity promise to have a strong impact both on fundamental aspects of the optics of complex systems and on the technology of lasing sources with many potential applications, whenever a tunable, micro-sized, compact, stable, and cheap source is needed, for instance in the telecom field, or in bio-medical applications.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
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Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Funding Scheme
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
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Coordinator
NAPOLI
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.