Stanford scientists develop fingernail-sized chip to separate mixed light beams
The photonic device could improve the performance of microscopes, telescopes and cameras by separating individual coherence modes.
Researchers at Stanford University, working with collaborators in Austria and Italy, have developed a tiny photonic chip that separates jumbled light from multiple sources into clean, individual beams, according to the Times of India.
The fingernail-sized device uses a network of tiny optical components called interferometers and algorithms to examine the statistical properties of incoming light. Unlike electronic chips that use electrons, this photonic chip guides photons through small channels on a silicon surface.
During experiments, the team directed two infrared lasers into the chip to create a partially coherent mixture. The chip physically separated the mixture into distinct coherence modes, which the researchers confirmed by recombining the output beams and finding they did not synchronise.
The technology was also able to sort a mixture created by introducing a third laser, suggesting it can work with more than two light sources.
The researchers believe the chip could help microscopes distinguish between overlapping fluorescent particles and assist telescopes in interpreting light from distant objects. The team is exploring a collaboration with NASA to investigate how the technology might help study such light.
Other potential applications include optical communications, sensing and computing, particularly in environments where atmospheric disturbances interfere with signals.