Fu-Li Zhao

Low-threshold lasing of a Rhodamine dye solution embedded with nanoparticle fractal aggregates.

The spectral and temporal emission properties of a Rhodamine (Rh) dye solution embedded with nanoparticle fractal aggregates are studied. An experiment on the pump-power density dependence of Rh emission spectra shows that the lasing threshold of a Rh6G solution embedded with TiO(2) nanoparticle fractal aggregates is significantly reduced compared with that of a neat dye solution. The mechanism of this reduction in lasing threshold is discussed, together with the lasing properties of narrow bandwidth and short duration.

Valley-contrasting physics in all-dielectric photonic crystals: Orbital angular momentum and topological propagation

Valley, as a degree of freedom, has been exploited to realize valley-selective Hall transport and circular dichroism in two-dimensional layered materials. On the other hand, orbital angular momentum of light with helical phase distribution has attracted great attention for its unprecedented opportunity to optical communicagtions, atom trapping, and even nontrivial topology engineering. Here, we reveal valley-contrasting orbital angular momentum in all-dielectric photonic valley crystals. Selective excitation of valley chiral bulk states is realized by sources carrying orbital angular momentum with proper chirality. Valley dependent edge states, predictable by nonzero valley Chern number, enable to suppress the inter-valley scattering along zigzag boundary, leading to broadband robust transmission in Z-shape bend without corner morphological optimization. Our work may open up a new door towards the discovery of novel quantum states and the manipulation of spin-orbit interaction of light in nanophotonics.In this paper, we study valley degree of freedom in all dielectric silicon photonic graphene. Photonic band gap opening physics under inversion symmetry breaking is revisited by the viewpoint of nonzero valley Chern number. Bulk valley modes with opposite orbital angular momentum are unveiled by inspecting time-varying electric fields. Topological transition is well illustrated through photonic Dirac Hamiltonian. Valley dependent edge states and the associated valley-protected backscattering suppression around Z-shape bend waveguide have been demonstrated.The valley has been exploited as a binary degree of freedom to realize valley-selective Hall transport and circular dichroism in two-dimensional layered materials, in which valley-contrasting physics is indispensable in making the valley index an information carrier. In this Rapid Communication, we reveal valley-contrasting physics in all-dielectric valley photonic crystals. The link between the angular momentum of light and the valley state is discussed, and unidirectional excitation of the valley chiral bulk state is realized by sources carrying orbital angular momentum with proper chirality. Characterized by the nonzero valley Chern number, valley-dependent edge states and the resultant broadband robust transport is found in such an all-dielectric system. Our work has potential in the orbital angular momentum assisted light manipulation and the discovery of valley-protected topological states in nanophotonics and on-chip integration.

Realization of Zero-Refractive-Index Lens with Ultralow Spherical Aberration

We experimentally demonstrate the all-dielectric zero-index photonic crystal on silicon chip, which is functionalized by a plane-concave lens with photonic Dirac cone at near-infrared wavelength.

Full Polarization Conical Dispersion and Zero-Refractive-Index in Two-Dimensional Photonic Hypercrystals.

Photonic conical dispersion has been found in either transverse magnetic or transverse electric polarization, and the predominant zero-refractive-index behavior in a two-dimensional photonic crystal is polarization-dependent. Here, we show that two-dimensional photonic hypercrystals can be designed that exhibit polarization independent conical dispersion at the Brillouin zone center, as two sets of triply-degenerate point for each polarization are accidentally at the same Dirac frequency. Such photonic hypercrystals consist of periodic dielectric cylinders embedded in elliptic metamaterials, and can be viewed as full-polarized near zero-refractive-index materials around Dirac frequency by using average eigen-field evaluation. Numerical simulations including directional emissions and invisibility cloak are employed to further demonstrate the double-zero-index characteristics for both polarizations in the photonic hypercrystals.

Proposal for achieving in-plane magnetic mirrors by silicon photonic crystals

Magnetic mirrors exhibit predominant physical characteristics such as high surface impedance and strong near-field enhancement. However, there is no way to implement these materials on a silicon lab chip. Here, we propose a scheme for an in-plane magnetic mirror in a silicon-based photonic crystal with a high-impedance surface, in contrast to the previous electric mirrors with low surface impedance. A tortuous bending waveguide with zero-index core and magnetic mirror walls is designed that exhibits high transmission and zero phase change at the waveguide exit. This type of magnetic mirror opens the door to exploring the physics of high-impedance surfaces and applications in integrated photonics.

Silicon Nitride Metalenses for Close-to-One Numerical Aperture and Wide-Angle Visible Imaging

SiN is an emerging semiconductor for integrated optoelectronics, due to its ultralow loss in the visible region. Developing a high-performance SiN metamaterial lens (metalens) is attractive for on-chip optical devices, but is held back by technical challenges in nanofabrication. The authors report the experimental realization of a SiN metalens that is 1 cm across and 695 nm thick, by means of CMOS-compatible fabrication. With high-quality, wide-angle visible imaging, these results point to the miniaturization of lenses for optical fibers, microendoscopes, and smart phones, as well as applications in all-sky telescopes, large-angle beam shaping, and near-eye imaging.

Transverse angular momentum in topological photonic crystals

Engineering local angular momentum of structured light fields in real space enables unprecedented applications in many fields, in particular for the realization of unidirectional robust transport in topological photonic crystals with non-trivial Berry vortex in momentum space. Here, we show transverse angular momentum modes in silicon topological photonic crystals when considering transverse electric polarization. Excited by a chiral external source with either transverse spin or orbital angular momentum, robust light flow propagating along opposite directions was observed in several kinds of sharp-turn interfaces between two topologically-distinct silicon photonic crystals. A transverse orbital angular momentum mode with alternating-sign topological charge was found at the boundary of such two photonic crystals. In addition, we also found that unidirectional transport is robust to the working frequency even when the ring-size or location of pseudo-spin source varies in a certain range, leading to the superiority of broadband photonic device. These findings enable for making use of transverse angular momentum, a kind of degree of freedom, to achieve unidirectional robust transport in telecom region and other potential applications in integrated photonic circuits such as on-chip robust delay line.