Polarization-controlled chiral transport

Abstract Handedness-selective chiral transport is an intriguing phenomenon that not only holds significant importance for fundamental research but also carries application prospects in fields such as optical communications and sensing. Currently, on-chip chiral transport devices are static, unable t...

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Main Authors: Hang Zhu, Jian Wang, Andrea Alù, Lin Chen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Publishing Group 2025-02-01
Series:Light: Science & Applications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01762-9
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author Hang Zhu
Jian Wang
Andrea Alù
Lin Chen
author_facet Hang Zhu
Jian Wang
Andrea Alù
Lin Chen
author_sort Hang Zhu
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Handedness-selective chiral transport is an intriguing phenomenon that not only holds significant importance for fundamental research but also carries application prospects in fields such as optical communications and sensing. Currently, on-chip chiral transport devices are static, unable to modulate the output modes based on the input modes. This limits both device functionality reconfiguration and information transmission capacity. Here, we propose to use the incident polarization diversity to control the Hamiltonian evolution path, achieving polarization-dependent chiral transport. By mapping the evolution path of TE and TM polarizations onto elaborately engineered double-coupled waveguides, we experimentally demonstrate that different polarizations yield controllable modal outputs. This work combines Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output, and polarization diversity concepts with chiral transport and challenges the prevailing notion that the modal outputs are fixed to specific modes in chiral transport, thereby opening pathways for the development of on-chip reconfigurable and high-capacity handedness-selective devices.
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institution DOAJ
issn 2047-7538
language English
publishDate 2025-02-01
publisher Nature Publishing Group
record_format Article
series Light: Science & Applications
spelling doaj-art-e16a8914fcb448619a4bb290be4172152025-08-20T02:48:30ZengNature Publishing GroupLight: Science & Applications2047-75382025-02-011411910.1038/s41377-025-01762-9Polarization-controlled chiral transportHang Zhu0Jian Wang1Andrea Alù2Lin Chen3Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics and School of Optical and Electronic Information, Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics and School of Optical and Electronic Information, Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyPhotonics Initiative, Advanced Science Research Center, City University of New YorkWuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics and School of Optical and Electronic Information, Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyAbstract Handedness-selective chiral transport is an intriguing phenomenon that not only holds significant importance for fundamental research but also carries application prospects in fields such as optical communications and sensing. Currently, on-chip chiral transport devices are static, unable to modulate the output modes based on the input modes. This limits both device functionality reconfiguration and information transmission capacity. Here, we propose to use the incident polarization diversity to control the Hamiltonian evolution path, achieving polarization-dependent chiral transport. By mapping the evolution path of TE and TM polarizations onto elaborately engineered double-coupled waveguides, we experimentally demonstrate that different polarizations yield controllable modal outputs. This work combines Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output, and polarization diversity concepts with chiral transport and challenges the prevailing notion that the modal outputs are fixed to specific modes in chiral transport, thereby opening pathways for the development of on-chip reconfigurable and high-capacity handedness-selective devices.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01762-9
spellingShingle Hang Zhu
Jian Wang
Andrea Alù
Lin Chen
Polarization-controlled chiral transport
Light: Science & Applications
title Polarization-controlled chiral transport
title_full Polarization-controlled chiral transport
title_fullStr Polarization-controlled chiral transport
title_full_unstemmed Polarization-controlled chiral transport
title_short Polarization-controlled chiral transport
title_sort polarization controlled chiral transport
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01762-9
work_keys_str_mv AT hangzhu polarizationcontrolledchiraltransport
AT jianwang polarizationcontrolledchiraltransport
AT andreaalu polarizationcontrolledchiraltransport
AT linchen polarizationcontrolledchiraltransport