A new way to detect stabilizing properties of optical devices
In optical fibers, chips and other light-guiding devices, minor defects can scatter photons and disrupt their path. A new study demonstrates a way to reveal properties which, in certain systems, help light wave behavior withstand such flaws. The method could help speed up the search for new kinds of electronics and optical technologies, and contribute to more reliable quantum devices.
Optical devices often suffer from minor defects that can scatter light and disrupt their path. A recent study reveals that certain properties enable light wave behavior to maintain stability even in the presence of such flaws. These topological properties remain unchanged even when a system is altered. Researchers at KTH Royal Institute of Technology have developed a programmable chip capable of detecting and measuring these topological properties.
The lead author, doctoral student Andrea Cataldo, explains that such stability is crucial for technologies that must operate reliably despite noise and imperfections, including future electronics and quantum devices. The chip imitates energy-losing systems and directly uncovers their hidden stable properties. It accurately distinguishes between topological cases and ordinary ones, and detects a special point where energy-losing systems exhibit unusual behavior, known as an exceptional point.
The researchers use a mathematical technique to simulate the lossy system without actually losing the signal, allowing them to compare the light against reference beams. This method enables the reading of hidden information even when energy loss would typically obscure it. The chip's reprogrammable nature allows for testing various scenarios on a single device.
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