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Title: Synthetic Magnetic Fields Steer Light On a Chip For Faster
Communications

Link: https://science.slashdot.org/story/25/09/12/2...

Researchers in China have created synthetic magnetic fields within silicon
photonic crystals, allowing them to steer and control light on a chip with
unprecedented precision. "Beyond immediate applications, the work opens new
avenues for studying quantum-inspired phenomena with light," reports
Phys.org. "The ability to impose artificial gauge fields in photonic systems
could enable devices for optical computing, quantum information, and advanced
communication technologies." Slashdot reader alternative_right shares an
excerpt from the report: The team achieved this by systematically altering
the symmetry of tiny repeating units in silicon photonic crystals. Adjusting
the degree of local asymmetry at each point allowed them to 'design'
pseudomagnetic fields with tailored spatial patterns, without breaking
fundamental time-reversal symmetry. Both theoretical analysis and experiments
confirmed that these engineered fields can guide and manipulate light in
versatile ways. To demonstrate practical applications, the researchers built
two devices commonly used in integrated optics. One was a compact S-shaped
waveguide bend that transmitted light with less than 1.83 decibels of signal
loss. The other was a power splitter that divided light into two equal paths
with low excess loss and minimal imbalance. In a final test, the devices
successfully transmitted a high-speed data stream at 140 gigabits per second
using a standard telecommunications modulation format, showing that the
technique is compatible with existing optical communication systems. The
research has been published in Advanced Photonics.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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