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Journal Article

Slowing and stopping light using an optomechanical crystal array

One of the major advances needed to realize all-optical information processing of light is the ability to delay or coherently store and retrieve optical information in a rapidly tunable manner. In the classical domain, this optical buffering is expected to be a key ingredient of managing the flow of information over complex optical networks. Such a system also has profound implications for quantum information processing, serving as a long-term memory that can store the full quantum information contained in an optical pulse. Here, we suggest a novel approach to light storage involving an optical waveguide coupled to an optomechanical crystal array, where light in the waveguide can be dynamically and coherently transferred into long-lived mechanical vibrations of the array. Under realistic conditions, this system is capable of achieving large bandwidths and storage/delay times in a compact, on-chip platform.
Author(s)
D. E. Chang
A. H. Safavi-Naeini
M. Hafezi
O. Painter
Journal Name
New J. Phys.
Publication Date
February, 2011
DOI
10.1088/1367-2630/13/2/023003