Phys.org October 22, 2021
An international team of researchers (USA – Caltech, Japan) constructed a material from black phosphorous which has anisotropic optical properties. As the black phosphorous is a semiconductor, structures built from black phosphorous can control the polarization of light as an electric signal is applied to them. This makes it possible to make an array of these elements each of which can convert the polarization into a different reflected polarization state. A telecommunications device based on thin layers of black phosphorous could tune the polarization of each signal so that they don’t interfere with each other. This would allow a fiber-optic cable to carry much more data. The technology could also open the door to Li-Fi replacing Wi-Fi…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
An artist’s rendering of light bouncing off a surface of black phosphorus, which alters its polarization. Credit: Caltech