New form of light discovered
9 Aug 2016 by Evoluted New Media
Scientists have created a new form of light after they were able to bind light to a single electron.
Scientists have created a new form of light after they were able to bind a single electron to light.
This newly-created light could lead to circuits being developed that use photons instead of electrons. It would also allow researchers to study quantum physical phenomena, on a never-before-seen visible scale.
The researchers were able to achieve this with the use of topological insulators. These materials were thought to react differently with light compared to other materials due to their electronic band structure.
Dr Vincenzo Giannini, from Imperial College London who supervised the project, said: "The results of this research will have a huge impact on the way we conceive light. Topological insulators were only discovered in the last decade, but are already providing us with new phenomena to study and new ways to explore important concepts in physics.”
With normal materials, light interacts with multiple electrons on the surface and inside the material. Using topological insulators, researchers at Imperial found it would interact with a single electron on the surface. This created a coupling that combined properties of the light with that of the electron’s.
This coupling meant light traced the surface of the material, instead of traveling in a straight line as normal. The scientists modelled this interaction around a nanoparticle made of a topological insulator and their results showed the light circled the particle.
Imperfections that would normally physically prevent electrons from travelling past a defect, were found to not impede the electron's movement once coupled. If applied to photonic circuitry it means the hardware could become more hardwearing and less likely to be affected by physical imperfections.
The research was published in Nature Communications.
