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Laser Mixing Generates Multifrequency Light

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SANTA BARBARA, Calif., March 29, 2012 — A groundbreaking laser mixing technique can manipulate electron-hole collisions to create many frequencies of light simultaneously. This mechanism for ultrafast light modulation has potential applications in high-speed optical communications. Caption: Benjamin Zaks (left) and Mark Sherwin. (Photo: UCSB) Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, use a free-electron laser aimed at a gallium arsenide nanostructure semiconductor to create a quasiparticle called an exciton, a bound electron-hole pair, in the material. Excitons occur when a semiconductor absorbs a photon....Read full article

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    Published: March 2012
    Glossary
    exciton
    An exciton is a quasiparticle that represents the bound state of an electron and a hole in a solid-state material, typically a semiconductor or an insulator. In simpler terms, an exciton is a paired electron and hole created when an electron absorbs a photon and is promoted to a higher energy state, leaving behind an empty state called a hole. Key characteristics of excitons include: Formation: Excitons are formed when an electron in the valence band of a material is excited to the...
    frequency comb
    A frequency comb is a precise and regular series of equally spaced spectral lines, or frequencies, that are generated with great accuracy. The term "frequency comb" is often associated with the Nobel Prize-winning technique known as frequency comb spectroscopy, developed by John L. Hall and Theodor W. Hänsch in the 1990s. The technology has since become a powerful tool in various scientific and technological applications. Key points about frequency combs: Origin and development: The...
    modulation
    In general, changes in one oscillation signal caused by another, such as amplitude or frequency modulation in radio which can be done mechanically or intrinsically with another signal. In optics the term generally is used as a synonym for contrast, particularly when applied to a series of parallel lines and spaces imaged by a lens, and is quantified by the equation: Modulation = (Imax – Imin)/ (Imax + Imin) where Imax and Imin are the maximum and minimum intensity levels of the image.
    optical communications
    The transmission and reception of information by optical devices and sensors.
    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...
    AmericasAsia-PacificBen ZaksCaliforniaCommunicationsdata transmissionelectron-hole pairselectron-hole recollisionexcitonfiber opticsfree electron laserfrequency combgallium arsenide nanostructureHong KongInternetlaser mixingMark SherwinmodulationMultiplexNatureoptical communicationsphotonphotonicsR.B. LiuResearch & Technologysemiconductorsspectroscopyterahertz fieldUCSBUniversity of California Santa BarbaraLasers

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