Synthetic Magnetic Fields Steer Light On a Chip For Faster Communications

Researchers in China have created synthetic magnetic fields within silicon photonic crystals, allowing them to steer and control light on a chip with unprecedented precision. "Beyond immediate applications, the work opens new avenues for studying quantum-inspired phenomena with light," reports Phys.org. "The ability to impose artificial gauge fields in photonic systems could enable devices for optical computing, quantum information, and advanced communication technologies." Slashdot reader alternative_right shares an excerpt from the report: The team achieved this by systematically altering the symmetry of tiny repeating units in silicon photonic crystals. Adjusting the degree of local asymmetry at each point allowed them to 'design' pseudomagnetic fields with tailored spatial patterns, without breaking fundamental time-reversal symmetry. Both theoretical analysis and experiments confirmed that these engineered fields can guide and manipulate light in versatile ways. To demonstrate practical applications, the researchers built two devices commonly used in integrated optics. One was a compact S-shaped waveguide bend that transmitted light with less than 1.83 decibels of signal loss. The other was a power splitter that divided light into two equal paths with low excess loss and minimal imbalance. In a final test, the devices successfully transmitted a high-speed data stream at 140 gigabits per second using a standard telecommunications modulation format, showing that the technique is compatible with existing optical communication systems. The research has been published in Advanced Photonics.

huh?

[evanh]

I thought only gravity affects light? You need a charged particle for magnetics to be effective don't you?

Re: huh?

[SnotMelon]

Yeah, my thoughts initially, but photons do interact with strong magnetic fields. Normally the fields in photonic crystals are too small to have any effect, but they're using sophisticated control of the semiconductor lattice to introduce strain which results in a pseudomagnetic field strong enough to have effects. It's pretty amazing stuff. They built two devices; an s shaped waveguide and a beam splitter to demonstrate real world capabilities. Wonder how easy it'll be to transfer precision lab enginee

Re: huh?

[Woeful Countenance]

Misleading headline both in Phys.org and Slashdot. From the article in Phys.org [phys.org], it isn't clear that they're using magnetic fields at all: "researchers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Sun Yat-Sen University have developed a method for generating pseudomagnetic fields -- synthetic fields that mimic the influence of real magnetic fields -- inside nanostructured materials known as photonic crystals." (Seems to me a lens will also "mimic the influence of real magnetic fields", but I'm not like an expert or anythng.)

The article doesn't even say whether the "pseudomagnetic fields" are permanent or can be changed, or how quickly they can be changed. The Advanced Photonics Web site isn't responding at the moment, so I can't see the original paper. And I can't tell where "faster communications" comes into it either.

(Has Phys.org also been degraded by "girls"? Or is bad physics reporting independent of gender? More research is needed!)

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

There are only four equations. You can write them out and solve them to see what happens in a strong magnetic field.

Lazy AI-schooled code monkeys... Small wonder the Chinese are so far ahead.

Re:

[Woeful Countenance]

This particular team is Chinese, but the US spends more money on research than any other country, so America will soon catch up and then pass ... oh, wait. Maybe not.