Weining Man

Experimental measurement of the photonic properties of icosahedral quasicrystals

Quasicrystalline structures may have optical bandgap properties—frequency ranges in which the propagation of light is forbidden—that make them well-suited to the scientific and technological applications for which photonic crystals are normally considered. Such quasicrystals can be constructed from two or more types of dielectric material arranged in a quasiperiodic pattern whose rotational symmetry is forbidden for periodic crystals (such as five-fold symmetry in the plane and icosahedral symmetry in three dimensions). Because quasicrystals have higher point group symmetry than ordinary crystals, their gap centre frequencies are closer and the gaps widths are more uniform—optimal conditions for forming a complete bandgap that is more closely spherically symmetric. Although previous studies have focused on one-dimensional and two-dimensional quasicrystals, where exact (one-dimensional) or approximate (two-dimensional) band structures can be calculated numerically, analogous calculations for the three-dimensional case are computationally challenging and have not yet been performed. Here we circumvent the computational problem by doing an experiment. Using stereolithography, we construct a photonic quasicrystal with centimetre-scale cells and perform microwave transmission measurements. We show that three-dimensional icosahedral quasicrystals exhibit sizeable stop gaps and, despite their quasiperiodicity, yield uncomplicated spectra that allow us to experimentally determine the faces of their effective Brillouin zones. Our studies confirm that they are excellent candidates for photonic bandgap materials.

Isotropic band gaps and freeform waveguides observed in hyperuniform disordered photonic solids

Recently, disordered photonic media and random textured surfaces have attracted increasing attention as strong light diffusers with broadband and wide-angle properties. We report the experimental realization of an isotropic complete photonic band gap (PBG) in a 2D disordered dielectric structure. This structure is designed by a constrained optimization method, which combines advantages of both isotropy due to disorder and controlled scattering properties due to low-density fluctuations (hyperuniformity) and uniform local topology. Our experiments use a modular design composed of Al2O3 walls and cylinders arranged in a hyperuniform disordered network. We observe a complete PBG in the microwave region, in good agreement with theoretical simulations, and show that the intrinsic isotropy of this unique class of PBG materials enables remarkable design freedom, including the realization of waveguides with arbitrary bending angles impossible in photonic crystals. This experimental verification of a complete PBG and realization of functional defects in this unique class of materials demonstrate their potential as building blocks for precise manipulation of photons in planar optical microcircuits and has implications for disordered acoustic and electronic band gap materials.

Photonic band gap in isotropic hyperuniform disordered solids with low dielectric contrast

We report the first experimental demonstration of a TE-polarization photonic band gap (PBG) in a 2D isotropic hyperuniform disordered solid (HUDS) made of dielectric media with a dielectric index contrast of 1.6:1, very low for PBG formation. The solid is composed of a connected network of dielectric walls enclosing air-filled cells. Direct comparison with photonic crystals and quasicrystals permitted us to investigate band-gap properties as a function of increasing rotational isotropy. We present results from numerical simulations proving that the PBG observed experimentally for HUDS at low index contrast has zero density of states. The PBG is associated with the energy difference between complementary resonant modes above and below the gap, with the field predominantly concentrated in the air or in the dielectric. The intrinsic isotropy of HUDS may offer unprecedented flexibilities and freedom in applications (i. e. defect architecture design) not limited by crystalline symmetries.

Optical nonlinearities and enhanced light transmission in soft-matter systems with tunable polarizabilities.

We demonstrate a new class of synthetic colloidal suspensions capable of exhibiting negative polarizabilities, and observe for the first time robust propagation and enhanced transmission of self-trapped light over long distances that would have been otherwise impossible in conventional suspensions with positive polarizabilities. Such light penetration through the strong scattering environment is attributed to the interplay between optical forces and self-activated transparency effects while no thermal effect is involved. By judiciously mixing colloidal particles of both negative and positive polarizabilities, we show that the resulting nonlinear response of these systems can be fine-tuned. Our experimental observations are in agreement with theoretical analysis based on a thermodynamic model that takes into account particle-particle interactions. These results may open up new opportunities in developing soft-matter systems with engineered optical nonlinearities.

Generalized Hertzian Model for the Deformation and Cracking of Colloidal Packings Saturated with Liquid

The process of drying colloidal dispersions generally produces particulate solids under stress as a result of capillary or interparticle forces. The derivation of a constitutive relation on the basis of Hertzian contact mechanics between spheres provides a model for quantitatively predicting the conditions under which close-packed colloidal layers form continuous void-free films or homogeneous porous films or crack under tensile stresses.

Interactions between self-channeled optical beams in soft-matter systems with artificial nonlinearities

We demonstrate optical interactions between stable self-trapped optical beams in soft-matter systems with pre-engineered saturable self-focusing optical nonlinearities. Our experiments, carried out in dilute suspensions of particles with negative polarizabilities, show that optical beam interactions can vary from attractive to repulsive, or can display an energy exchange depending on the initial relative phases. The corresponding observations are in good agreement with theoretical predictions.

Local self-uniformity in photonic networks

The interaction of a material with light is intimately related to its wavelength-scale structure. Simple connections between structure and optical response empower us with essential intuition to engineer complex optical functionalities. Here we develop local self-uniformity (LSU) as a measure of a random networks internal structural similarity, ranking networks on a continuous scale from crystalline, through glassy intermediate states, to chaotic configurations. We demonstrate that complete photonic bandgap structures possess substantial LSU and validate LSUs importance in gap formation through design of amorphous gyroid structures. Amorphous gyroid samples are fabricated via three-dimensional ceramic printing and the bandgaps experimentally verified. We explore also the wing-scale structuring in the butterfly Pseudolycaena marsyas and show that it possesses substantial amorphous gyroid character, demonstrating the subtle order achieved by evolutionary optimization and the possibility of an amorphous gyroids self-assembly.

Unfolding the band structure of non-crystalline photonic band gap materials

Non-crystalline photonic band gap (PBG) materials have received increasing attention, and sizeable PBGs have been reported in quasi-crystalline structures and, more recently, in disordered structures. Band structure calculations for periodic structures produce accurate dispersion relations, which determine group velocities, dispersion, density of states and iso-frequency surfaces, and are used to predict a wide-range of optical phenomena including light propagation, excited-state decay rates, temporal broadening or compression of ultrashort pulses and complex refraction phenomena. However, band calculations for non-periodic structures employ large super-cells of hundreds to thousands building blocks, and provide little useful information other than the PBG central frequency and width. Using stereolithography, we construct cm-scale disordered PBG materials and perform microwave transmission measurements, as well as finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations. The photonic dispersion relations are reconstructed from the measured and simulated phase data. Our results demonstrate the existence of sizeable PBGs in these disordered structures and provide detailed information of the effective band diagrams, dispersion relation, iso-frequency contours, and their angular dependence. Slow light phenomena are also observed in these structures near gap frequencies. This study introduces a powerful tool to investigate photonic properties of non-crystalline structures and provides important effective dispersion information, otherwise difficult to obtain.

Probe amplification from Raman gain to inversionless gain

Abstract By the advantage of a metastable state, amplification without inversion has been exhibited with the remarkable characteristic that the population distribution of the upper state for the amplified transition is produced by the coupling coherent laser rather than direct incoherent pumping. We proposed two similar models which involve light amplification arising from either coherence or stimulated Raman scattering. Our density-matrix calculations provide the steady-state condition for probe amplification from different origin, including net Raman gain, dressed-state inversion gain and inversionless gain. We prove that the LWI could exist even with the absence of an incoherent pump to the upper level of the amplified transition, which could simplify the experiment design. With our model, the amplification condition is not the same as the usual three-level situation, which is important to choose the materials used to realize the LWI. We hope that these results could have potential application in lasers without inversion for generating a short-wavelength laser.

Giant tunable self-defocusing nonlinearity and dark soliton attraction observed in m-cresol/nylon thermal solutions

We report a new type of thermal nonlinear media (m-cresol/nylon solutions) that exhibits a giant tunable self-defocusing nonlinearity. The measured Kerr coefficient in such thermal nonlinear solutions is orders of magnitude higher than that of most previously known thermal materials. In addition, we demonstrate the generation of dark spatial solitons in these isotropic nonlocal nonlinear media, and observe to our knowledge the strongest effect of dark-soliton attraction ever reported in thermal defocusing media.