EurekAlert April 27, 2020
An international team of researchers (South Africa, USA – Harvard University, Singapore) has developed a new laser to produce any desired chiral state of light, with full control over both angular momentum (AM) components of light, the spin (polarisation) and orbital angular momentum (OAM) of light. They designed a new nanometer-sized metasurface made up of many tiny rods of nanomaterial within the laser, which alters the light as it passes through. The light passes through the metasurface many times, receiving a new twist every time it does so resulting in the generation of new forms of chiral light and complete control of light’s chirality at the source, closing an open challenge. Various industries and research fields require super-chiral light to improve their processes, including the food, computer, and biomedical industries. It can be used to drive gears optically where physical mechanical systems would not work, such as in micro-fluidic system…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE