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PI Physik Instrumente - Revolution In Photonics Align LW LB 3/24

Unruly Light Waves Tamed

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ATLANTA, Oct. 9, 2007 -- Light waves become unstable and unruly as they are pressed through surfaces only a few nanometers apart and smaller than their wavelength, because there just isn't enough room for them to travel in a straight line. This makes the creation of nano-optical devices a challenge, but one that might become easier thanks to a new method of predicting light's behavior.Waves of electromagnetic energy passing through a vacuum between two plates of silicon carbide just 100 nanometers apart, one at an elevated temperature. The lines represent the energy stream, bending the light as it is pushed through...Read full article

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    Published: October 2007
    Glossary
    electrodynamics
    The study of the generation of electromagnetic power by radiation from high-energy beams.
    light
    Electromagnetic radiation detectable by the eye, ranging in wavelength from about 400 to 750 nm. In photonic applications light can be considered to cover the nonvisible portion of the spectrum which includes the ultraviolet and the infrared.
    nano
    An SI prefix meaning one billionth (10-9). Nano can also be used to indicate the study of atoms, molecules and other structures and particles on the nanometer scale. Nano-optics (also referred to as nanophotonics), for example, is the study of how light and light-matter interactions behave on the nanometer scale. See nanophotonics.
    optical
    Pertaining to optics and the phenomena of light.
    photon
    A quantum of electromagnetic energy of a single mode; i.e., a single wavelength, direction and polarization. As a unit of energy, each photon equals hn, h being Planck's constant and n, the frequency of the propagating electromagnetic wave. The momentum of the photon in the direction of propagation is hn/c, c being the speed of light.
    photonics
    The technology of generating and harnessing light and other forms of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The science includes light emission, transmission, deflection, amplification and detection by optical components and instruments, lasers and other light sources, fiber optics, electro-optical instrumentation, related hardware and electronics, and sophisticated systems. The range of applications of photonics extends from energy generation to detection to communications and...
    quantum mechanics
    The science of all complex elements of atomic and molecular spectra, and the interaction of radiation and matter.
    radiation
    The emission and/or propagation of energy through space or through a medium in the form of either waves or corpuscular emission.
    scanning
    The successive analysis or synthesizing of the light values or other similar characteristics of the components of a picture area, following a given method.
    thermophotovoltaic
    Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) refers to a technology that converts heat energy into electricity using the principles of thermophotovoltaics. In a thermophotovoltaic system, thermal radiation from a heat source is converted into photons, which are then absorbed by a semiconductor photovoltaic (PV) cell, generating electrical power. Key components and principles of thermophotovoltaic systems include: Heat source: A heat source, such as a combustor or other thermal source, is used to generate...
    tunneling
    An observed effect of the ability of certain atomic particles to pass through a barrier that they cannot pass over because of the required energy level, based on a law of quantum mechanics that predicts that the particles have a finite probability for tunneling according to their quantum-mechanical nature.
    electrodynamicselectromagneticevanescent wavesGeorgia Institute of TechnologyImaginglightlight wavesMicroscopynanonano opticsnanoscaleNews & Featuresopticalphotonphoton-tunnelingphotonicsPoyntingquantum mechanicsradiradiationscanningthermophotovoltaictransfertunnelingwavesZhuomin Zhang

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