Non-reciprocal photonics based on time modulation

Reciprocity is a fundamental principle in optics, requiring that the response of a transmission channel is symmetric when source and observation points are interchanged. It is of major significance because it poses fundamental constraints on the way we process optical signals. Non-reciprocal devices...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature photonics Vol. 11; no. 12; pp. 774 - 783
Main Authors: Sounas, Dimitrios L., Alù, Andrea
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.12.2017
Nature Publishing Group
Subjects:
639/624
639/925/927/1021
Applied and Technical Physics
Devices
Magnetic materials
Modulation
Modulators
Optical communication
Optical data processing
Optics
Photonics
Physics
Physics and Astronomy
Quantum Physics
Reciprocity
Review Article
Switches
Symmetry
ISSN:1749-4885, 1749-4893
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Reciprocity is a fundamental principle in optics, requiring that the response of a transmission channel is symmetric when source and observation points are interchanged. It is of major significance because it poses fundamental constraints on the way we process optical signals. Non-reciprocal devices, which break this symmetry, have become fundamental in photonic systems. Today they require magnetic materials that are bulky, costly and cannot be integrated. This is in stark contrast with most photonic devices, including sources, modulators, switches, waveguides, interconnects and antennas, which may be realized at the nanoscale. Here, we review recent progress and opportunities offered by temporal modulation to break reciprocity, revealing its potential for compact, low-energy, integrated non-reciprocal devices, and discuss the future of this exciting research field. The progress on non-reciprocal photonic devices enabled by temporal modulation is reviewed.
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ISSN:1749-4885
1749-4893
DOI:10.1038/s41566-017-0051-x