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Updated: May 13, 2026
11:08
Fabrication And Characterization Of Photonic Crystal Slow Light Waveguides And Cavities
Published on: November 30, 2012
An optochemically organized nonlinear waveguide lattice with primitive cubic symmetry.
Matthew R Ponte1, Robert Welch, Kalaichelvi Saravanamuttu
1Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada.
Optics Express
|March 14, 2013
Summary
Researchers created a novel 3D cubic lattice structure using light. This self-assembled photonic lattice enables new studies into incoherent light behaviors and lattice solitons.
Area of Science:
- Photonics
- Materials Science
- Nonlinear Optics
Background:
- Photonic lattices are crucial for controlling light propagation.
- Previous methods for lattice creation were complex and required specific conditions.
- Studying light behavior in complex 3D structures is challenging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate the spontaneous self-assembly of a primitive cubic lattice.
- To showcase the potential of this lattice for nonlinear optics experiments.
- To enable the study of incoherent light phenomena in 3D Bravais lattices.
Main Methods:
- Utilized three mutually orthogonal arrays of cylindrical, multimode waveguides.
- Achieved spontaneous lattice assembly in a single, room-temperature step.
- Employed separate, mutually incoherent incandescent light bulbs for lattice generation.
Main Results:
- Successfully assembled a primitive cubic photonic lattice.
- Demonstrated the lattice's capability by generating a self-trapped beam of incoherent white light.
- Confirmed the lattice's suitability for nonlinear optical studies.
Conclusions:
- This work presents the first spontaneous assembly of a 3D cubic photonic lattice.
- The novel lattice opens new experimental avenues for studying polychromatic lattice solitons.
- The findings pave the way for exploring incoherent light dynamics in complex optical structures.
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