Shining a light on synthetic dimensions

Yokohama National University.

Humans experience the world in three dimensions, but a collaboration in Japan has developed a way to create synthetic dimensions to better understand the fundamental laws of the universe and possibly apply them to advanced technologies.

Their results were published in Science Advances.

The concept of dimensionality has become a central fixture in modern physics and technology.

Topology is an extension of geometry that describes spaces with properties preserved in continuous distortion, such as the twist of a mobius strip. Baba says that the physical spaces can be directed in a way that allows researchers to induce highly complicated phenomena.

In the real world, from a line to a square to a cube, each dimensions provides more information and requires more knowledge to accurately describe it. Researchers can create additional dimensions of a system, allowing for more degrees of freedom and manipulation of properties that were previously impossible.

Synthetic dimensions have made it possible to exploit higher-dimensional concepts in lower-dimensional devices with reduced complexity, as well as driving critical device functions.

The researchers used the same approach to build a synthetic dimensions on a Silicon ring resonator as they did to build a computer chip that can store some memory. A ring resonator applies guides to split light waves according to their bandwidth.

According to Baba, the Silicon ring resonator photonic device acquired acomb-like optical spectrum, resulting in coupled modes corresponding to a one-dimensional model. The researchers were able to infer information about the rest of the system because of the measurable property produced by the device.

The developed device consists of one ring and more could be stacked to cascade effects.

Baba said that their platform is much smaller and compact than previous approaches, which used optical fibers connected to various components.

Baba said that a moreScalable Silicon photonic chip platform provides a considerable advancement, as it allows photonics with synthetic dimensions to benefit from the mature and sophisticated CMOS commercial fabrication toolbox, while also creating the means for multi-dimensional topological phenomena to be introduced into novel device applications.

Baba said that the flexibility of the system, including the ability to reconfigure it as necessary, complement equivalent static spaces in real space, which could help researchers to understand phenomena beyond three dimensions.

Baba said that the work shows the possibility that synthetic and topological dimensions can be used together.

More information: Armandas Balčytis, Synthetic dimension band structures on a  Si CMOS photonic platform, Science Advances (2022). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abk0468. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abk0468 Journal information: Science Advances Provided by Yokohama National University Citation: Shining a light on synthetic dimensions (2022, January 28) retrieved 28 January 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-01-synthetic-dimensions.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.