EurekAlert November 18, 2019
Numerous examples of photonic band gaps have been shown previously in various types of crystals. With computational simulations researchers at Princeton University have shown that a Weaire-Phelan foam would allow some frequencies of light to pass through while completely reflecting others making it a photonic band gap material. The photonic band gap has a maximal size of 16.9% (at a volume fraction of 21.6% for a dielectric contrast ε=13) and a high degree of isotropy. With further development, the foam could transport and manipulate light used in telecommunications. Photonic band gap materials could guide the light much more precisely than conventional fiber optic cables and might serve as optical transistors that perform computations using light…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE