Fundamental Modeling and Design Strategies in Computational Photonics- Applications to Lasercom Through Clouds and Electro-Optical/Nanophotonics

摘要

This summary highlights significant advances and discoveries under the support of the above grant. Two broad non-overlapping research topic areas were addressed in the project: I. Lasercom through clouds using novel partially spatially and temporally coherent laser beams, and II. Computational nanophotonics, plasmonics and metamaterials applied to new algorithm development with applications to atom/quantum dot traps, nonlinear harmonic generation in metamaterials and novel plasmonic high density data storage. The lasercom project focused on investigating whether partially spatially coherent beams, constructed from an array of individual emitters, would reduce the scintillation index relative to a single Gaussian beam. Our results indicated a significant reduction and this was confirmed by a follow-on collaborative experiment with AFRL personnel where multiple beams were generated by fiber lasers. The proposed end solution for a partially spatially coherent laser source was an array of Vertical External Cavity Surface Emitting semiconductor lasers (VECSEL). Funding was provided under the project to grow VECSEL wafers that could be processed into laser chips. The chip processing (mounting and etching) and VECSEL laser demonstration was carried out under parallel ongoing JTO MRI projects.