Laser Pulse Generation by Dynamically Controlling Purcell Factor in Nanophotonic Cavities

Generating ultrafast laser pulses at the nanoscale can provide a key component for optical interconnection in multi-core computer processors. It can significantly reduce the energy consumption for converting electrical signals into optical forms at high bandwidth, which is essential for future applications in the Internet of Things and Green Photonics. However, experimental approaches to generate ultrafast laser pulses at the nanoscale are yet to be explored. Based on Dr Jin's expertise in ultrafast photonics, he will develop a novel technology to generate laser pulses through the dynamic control of Purcell factor in coupled photonic crystal cavities. This technology is not fundamentally limited by the spontaneous emission lifetime and can thus achieve high speed modulation beyond 100GHz, ten times faster than conventional technologies. Dr Jin's research and industry track record, combined with the excellent laboratory environment at the University of Sheffield, will support the success of this timely and important research topic.

A number of pathways leading to academic and societal impacts have been carefully identified and scoped. At the early stage of the project, academic impacts will be made possible by interacting with leading research groups in the photonics research community. Collaborative research with pre-agreed strategy and complementary alignment will ensure the research team's success at achieving the experimental aims and generating publishable data. Dr Jin's technical breakthrough will generate broad interest from the photonics manufacturing community and will be of significant interest to industry partners who are developing photonic integration technologies. The key societal impact will be the development of a novel product that is capable of meeting the demand for an advanced, energy-efficient and cost effective information network. Additionally, the societal impacts can be made accessible by increasing the public engagement through media channels like the research news and the web-based academic community. The educational feature of the grant will be exploited to support personnel development of the research team.