Creating Chiral Photons at COMPASS
COMPASS Adjunct Research Investigator Jun Lu working with a small glass tube filled with argon gas that contains a twisted nanocarbon in the Kotov Lab at the North Campus Research Center of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor on Wednesday, December 18, 2024. COMPASS is the Center for Complex Particle Systems which is directed by Nicholas Kotov, the Irving Langmuir Distinguished University Professor of Chemical Sciences and Engineering.
Researchers from the Kotov Lab have found that submicrometer twisted filaments made from materials like nanocarbon or metals can produce strong chiral infrared photons, especially in the wavelength range of 500 to 300 nanometers. The twisted filaments emit light that is significantly brighter, up to 100 times more bright than other similar light emitters. The special helical shape of the filaments helps in controlling the type of twisted light they emit. Additionally, coating these nanocarbons with durable, transparent ceramics results in bright and adjustable chiral emitters capable of functioning at temperatures that were previously thought to be unreachable. This advancement opens new possibilities in the field of chiral photonics and high-temperature applications.
Photo: Brenda Ahearn/University of Michigan, College of Engineering, Communications and Marketing
Creating Chiral Photons at COMPASS
COMPASS Adjunct Research Investigator Jun Lu working with a small glass tube filled with argon gas that contains a twisted nanocarbon in the Kotov Lab at the North Campus Research Center of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor on Wednesday, December 18, 2024. COMPASS is the Center for Complex Particle Systems which is directed by Nicholas Kotov, the Irving Langmuir Distinguished University Professor of Chemical Sciences and Engineering.
Researchers from the Kotov Lab have found that submicrometer twisted filaments made from materials like nanocarbon or metals can produce strong chiral infrared photons, especially in the wavelength range of 500 to 300 nanometers. The twisted filaments emit light that is significantly brighter, up to 100 times more bright than other similar light emitters. The special helical shape of the filaments helps in controlling the type of twisted light they emit. Additionally, coating these nanocarbons with durable, transparent ceramics results in bright and adjustable chiral emitters capable of functioning at temperatures that were previously thought to be unreachable. This advancement opens new possibilities in the field of chiral photonics and high-temperature applications.
Photo: Brenda Ahearn/University of Michigan, College of Engineering, Communications and Marketing