article · Advanced Quantum Technologies
A new photonic crystal heterostructure design uses engineered topological corner states and cavities to achieve a topological rainbow trapping effect. The architecture integrates a non-trivial topological photonic crystal with sharp corners into a trivial photonic crystal matrix. By altering the sector angle of circular columns, the system achieves dynamic control over light localisation and the rainbow effect. This geometric manipulation creates distinct group velocities across different optical frequencies, separating light by frequency and localising each component at specific corner states. The resulting trapped light is highly confined and exhibits robust resilience against structural disorder. These principles offer a structured approach to controlling light at small scales, laying the groundwork for developing advanced optical devices that rely on protected light states.
Trapping and separating different frequencies of light is essential for processing optical signals efficiently. Traditional methods often suffer from signal loss caused by manufacturing imperfections. By using topological corner states, this approach secures light confinement that resists structural defects, which can help engineers design more stable and precise optical hardware for data routing and detection.
The design indicates potential utility in optical sensing, wavelength division multiplexing for telecommunications, and quantum information processing. Potential end users include developers of integrated photonic circuits and optical communication systems. Based on the abstract, this represents early-stage design research, meaning substantial experimental prototyping and fabrication testing are required before any real-world use or commercialisation.
AI-generated from the published abstract. Always read the original work before citing.
Abstract This work presents a pioneering photonic crystal (PC) heterostructure design exploiting tailored topological corner states and cavities to unleash a fascinating topological rainbow effect. This effect arises from the strategic integration of a nontrivial topological PC with sharp corners within a trivial PC matrix, resulting in a heterostructure rich in corner states and cavities. The critical innovation lies in manipulating the sector angle of circular columns, granting dynamic control over the rainbow effect and light localization. This manipulation induces distinct group velocities for different light frequencies, leading to their separation and localization at specific corner states. This remarkable “rainbow trapping” phenomenon manifests as highly confined light exhibiting exceptional resilience against disorder. These findings illuminate a pathway toward crafting next‐generation photonic devices boasting unparalleled functionalities. The reconfigurable rainbow trapping holds immense potential for applications in wavelength division multiplexing, optical sensing, and even venturing into quantum information processing.
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DOI: 10.1002/qute.202400050
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