arXiv subjects

Cheng-Wei Qiu

Publications and source records attributed to Cheng-Wei Qiu.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

Reconfiguring colours of single relief structures by directional stretching

Colour changes can be achieved by straining photonic crystals or gratings embedded in stretchable materials. However, the multiple repeat units and the need for a volumetric assembly of nanostructures limit the density of information content. Inspired by surface reliefs on oracle bones and music records as means of information archival, here we endow surface-relief elastomers with multiple sets of information that are accessible by mechanical straining along in-plane axes. Distinct from Bragg diffraction effects from periodic structures, we report trenches that generate colour due to variations in trench depth, enabling individual trench segments to support a single colour. Using 3D printed cuboids, we replicated trenches of varying geometric parameters in elastomers. These parameters determine the initial colour (or lack thereof), the response to capillary forces, and the appearance when strained along or across the trenches. Strain induces modulation in trench depth or the opening and closure of a trench, resulting in surface reliefs with up to six distinct states, and an initially featureless surface that reveals two distinct images when stretched along different axes. The highly reversible structural colours are promising in optical data archival, anti-counterfeiting, and strain-sensing applications.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2022

Ultrathin quantum light source enabled by a nonlinear van der Waals crystal with vanishing interlayer-electronic-coupling

Interlayer electronic coupling in two-dimensional (2D) materials enables tunable and emergent properties by stacking engineering. However, it also brings significant evolution of electronic structures and attenuation of excitonic effects in 2D semiconductors as exemplified by quickly degrading excitonic photoluminescence and optical nonlinearities in transition metal dichalcogenides when monolayers are stacked into van der Waals structures. Here we report a novel van der Waals crystal, niobium oxide dichloride, featuring a vanishing interlayer electronic coupling and scalable second harmonic generation intensity of up to three orders higher than that of exciton-resonant monolayer WS2. Importantly, the strong second-order nonlinearity enables correlated parametric photon pair generation, via a spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) process, in flakes as thin as ~46 nm. To our knowledge, this is the first SPDC source unambiguously demonstrated in 2D layered materials, and the thinnest SPDC source ever reported. Our work opens an avenue towards developing van der Waals material-based ultracompact on-chip SPDC sources, and high-performance photon modulators in both classical and quantum optical technologies.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2022

Tailoring topological transition of anisotropic polaritons by interface engineering in biaxial crystals

Polaritons in polar biaxial crystals with extreme anisotropy offer a promising route to manipulate nanoscale light-matter interactions. The dynamical modulation of their dispersion is great significance for future integrated nano-optics but remains challenging. Here, we report a momentum-directed strategy, a coupling between the modes with extra momentum supported by the interface and in-plane hyperbolic polaritons, to tailor topological transitions of anisotropic polaritons in biaxial crystals. We experimentally demonstrate such tailored polaritons at the interface of heterostructures between graphene and α-phase molybdenum trioxide (α-MoO3). The interlayer coupling can be electrically modulated by changing the Fermi level in graphene, enabling a dynamic topological transition. More interestingly, we found that the topological transition occurs at a constant Fermi level when tuning the thickness of α-MoO3. The momentum-directed strategy implemented by interface engineering offers new insights for optical topological transitions, which may shed new light for programmable polaritonics, energy transfer and neuromorphic photonics.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

Planar chiral metasurfaces with maximal tunable chiroptical response driven by bound states in the continuum

Optical metasurfaces with high-Q chiral resonances can boost light-matter interaction for various applications of chiral response for ultrathin, active, and nonlinear metadevices. Usually, such metasurfaces require sophisticated depth-resolved nanofabrication to realize subwavelength stereo-nanostructures, posing overwhelming challenges, especially in the short-wavelength range. Here, we suggest a novel planar design for chiral metasurfaces supporting bound states in the continuum (BICs) and demonstrate experimentally chiroptical responses with record-high Q-factors (Q=390) and near-perfect circular dichroism (CD=0.93) at optical frequencies. The symmetry-reduced meta-atoms are highly birefringent and support winding elliptical eigen-polarizations with opposite helicity surrounding the BIC polarization singularity, providing a convenient way for achieving maximal planar chirality tuned by either breaking in-plane symmetry or changing illumination direction. Such sharply resonant chirality realized in planar metasurfaces promises various practical applications in classical and quantum optics including chiral sensing, enantiomer selection, and chiral quantum emitters.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

Phyllotaxis-inspired Nanosieves with Multiplexed Orbital Angular Momentum

Nanophotonic platforms such as metasurfaces, achieving arbitrary phase profiles within ultrathin thickness, emerge as miniaturized, ultracompact and kaleidoscopic optical vortex generators. However, it is often required to segment or interleave independent subarray metasurfaces to multiplex optical vortices in a single nano device, which in turn affects the compactness and channel capacity of the device. Here, inspired by phyllotaxis patterns in pine cones and sunflowers, we theoretically prove and experimentally report that multiple optical vortices can be produced in a single compact phyllotaxis nanosieve, both in free space and on a chip, where one metaatom may contribute to many vortices simultaneously. The time resolved dynamics of on chip interference wavefronts between multiple plasmonic vortices was revealed by ultrafast time-resolved photoemission electron microscopy. Our nature inspired optical vortex generator would facilitate various vortex related optical applications, including structured wavefront shaping, free space and plasmonic vortices, and high capacity information metaphotonics.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

A Modular Design of Continuously Tunable Full Color Plasmonic Pixels with Broken Rotational Symmetry

Color tuning is a fascinating and indispensable property in applications such as advanced display, active camouflaging and information encryption. Thus far, a variety of reconfigurable approaches have been implemented to achieve color change. However, it is still a challenge to enable a continuous color tuning over the entire hue range in a simple, stable and rapid manner without changes in configuration and material properties. Here, we demonstrate an all-optical continuously tunable plasmonic pixel scheme via a modular design approach to realize polarization-controlled full color tuning by breaking the intrinsic symmetry of the unit cell layout. The polarization-controlled full color tunable plasmonic pixels consist of three different types of color modules oriented at an angle of 60° with respect to each other, corresponding to three subtractive primary colors. Without changing the structural properties or surrounding environment, the structural colors can be continuously and precisely tuned across all hues by illuminating linearly polarized light with different polarization directions. Meanwhile, the plasmonic pixels can be flexibly customized for various color tuning processes, such as different initial output colors and color tuning sequences, through the appropriate choice of component modules and the elaborate design of module layouts. Furthermore, we extend the color tuning to achromatic colors, white or black, with the utilization of a single module or the introduction of a black module. The proposed polarization-controlled full color tunable plasmonic pixels hold considerable potential to function as next-generation color pixels integrated with liquid-crystal polarizers.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

Localized heat diffusion in topological thermal materials

Various unusual behaviors of artificial materials are governed by their topological properties, among which the edge state at the boundary of a photonic or phononic lattice has been captivated as a popular notion. However, this remarkable bulk-boundary correspondence and the related phenomena are missing in thermal materials. One reason is that heat diffusion is described in a non-Hermitian framework because of its dissipative nature. The other is that the relevant temperature field is mostly composed of modes that extend over wide ranges, making it difficult to be rendered within the tight-binding theory as commonly employed in wave physics. Here, we overcome the above challenges and perform systematic studies on heat diffusion in thermal lattices. Based on a continuum model, we introduce a state vector to link the Zak phase with the existence of the edge state, and thereby analytically prove the thermal bulk-boundary correspondence. We experimentally demonstrate the predicted edge states with a topologically protected and localized heat dissipation capacity. Our finding sets up a solid foundation to explore the topology in novel heat transfer manipulations.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2021

Diffusive Topological Transport in Spatiotemporal Thermal Lattices

Topological insulating phases are usually found in periodic lattices stemming from collective resonant effects, and it may thus be expected that similar features may be prohibited in thermal diffusion, given its purely dissipative and largely incoherent nature. We report the diffusion-based topological states supported by spatiotemporally-modulated advections stacked over a fluidic surface, thereby imitating a periodic propagating potential in effective thermal lattices. We observe edge and bulk states within purely nontrivial and trivial lattices, respectively. At interfaces between these two types of lattices, the diffusive system exhibits interface states, manifesting inhomogeneous thermal properties on the fluidic surface. Our findings establish a framework for topological diffusion and thermal edge/bulk states, and it may empower a distinct mechanism for flexible manipulation of robust heat and mass transfer.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2021

Schrodinger's Red Pixel by Quasi Bound-State-In-Continuum

While structural colors are ubiquitous in nature, saturated reds are mysteriously absent. Hence, a longstanding problem is in fabricating nanostructured surfaces that exhibit reflectance approaching the theoretical limit. This limit is termed the Schrodinger red and demands sharp spectral transitions from "stopband" to a high reflectance "passband" with total suppression of higher-order resonances at blue and green wavelengths. Current approaches based on metallic or dielectric nanoantennas are insufficient to simultaneously meet these conditions. Here, for the 1st time, we designed and fabricated tall Si nanoantenna arrays on quartz substrate to support two partially overlapping y polarized quasi bound-state-in-the-continuum (q-BIC) modes in the red wavelengths with sharp spectral edges. These structures produce possibly the most saturated and brightest reds with ~80% reflectance, exceeding the red vertex in sRGB and even the cadmium red pigment. We employed a gradient descent algorithm with structures supporting q BIC as the starting point. Although the current design is polarization dependent, the proposed paradigm has enabled us to achieve the elusive structural red and the design principle could be generalized to Schrodinger's pixels of other colors. The design is suitable for scale up using other nanofabrication techniques for larger area applications, such as red pixels in displays, decorative coatings, and miniaturized spectrometers with high wavelength selectivity.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

Dielectric metasurface for independent complex-amplitude control of arbitrary two orthogonal states of polarization

Metasurfaces are planar structures that can manipulate the amplitude, phase and polarization (APP) of light at subwavelength scale. Although various functionalities have been proposed based on metasurface, a most general optical control, i.e., independent complex-amplitude (amplitude and phase) control of arbitrary two orthogonal states of polarizations, has not yet been realized. Such level of optical control can not only cover the various functionalities realized previously, but also enable new functionalities that are not feasible before. Here, we propose a single-layer dielectric metasurface to realize this goal and experimentally demonstrate several advanced functionalities, such as two independent full-color printing images under arbitrary elliptically orthogonal polarizations and dual sets of printing-hologram integrations. Our work opens the way for a wide range of applications in advanced image display, information encoding, and polarization optics.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

Dynamic Janus Metasurfaces in the Visible Spectral Region

Janus monolayers have long been captivated as a popular notion for breaking in-plane and out-of-plane structural symmetry. Originated from chemistry and materials science, the concept of Janus functions have been recently extended to ultrathin metasurfaces by arranging meta-atoms asymmetrically with respect to the propagation or polarization direction of the incident light. However, such metasurfaces are intrinsically static and the information they carry can be straightforwardly decrypted by scanning the incident light directions and polarization states once the devices are fabricated. In this Letter, we present a dynamic Janus metasurface scheme in the visible spectral region. In each super unit cell, three plasmonic pixels are categorized into two sets. One set contains a magnesium nanorod and a gold nanorod that are orthogonally oriented with respect to each other, working as counter pixels. The other set only contains a magnesium nanorod. The effective pixels on the Janus metasurface can be reversibly regulated by hydrogenation/dehydrogenation of the magnesium nanorods. Such dynamic controllability at visible frequencies allows for flat optical elements with novel functionalities including beam steering, bifocal lensing, holographic encryption, and dual optical function switching.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

High-resolution light field prints by nanoscale 3D printing

A light field print (LFP) displays three-dimensional (3D) information to the naked-eye observer under ambient white light illumination. Changing perspectives of a 3D image are seen by the observer from varying angles. However, LFPs appear pixelated due to limited resolution and misalignment between their lenses and colour pixels. A promising solution to create high-resolution LFPs is through the use of advanced nanofabrication techniques. Here, we use two-photon polymerization lithography as a one-step nanoscale 3D printer to directly fabricate LFPs out of transparent resin. This approach produces simultaneously high spatial resolution (29 - 45 μm) and high angular resolution (~ 1.6 °) images with smooth motion parallax across 15 {\times} 15 views. Notably, the smallest colour pixel consists of only a single nanopillar (~ 300 nm diameter). Our LFP signifies a step towards hyper-realistic 3D images that can be applied in print media and security tags for high-value goods.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

Reciprocity of thermal diffusion in time-modulated systems

The reciprocity principle governs the symmetry in transmission of electromagnetic and acoustic waves, as well as the diffusion of heat between two points in space, with important consequences for thermal management and energy harvesting. There has been significant recent interest in materials with time-modulated properties, which have been shown to efficiently break reciprocity for light, sound, and even charge diffusion. Quite surprisingly, here we show that, from a practical point of view, time modulation cannot generally be used to break reciprocity for thermal diffusion. We establish a theoretical framework to accurately describe the behavior of diffusive processes under time modulation, and prove that thermal reciprocity in dynamic materials is generally preserved by the continuity equation, unless some external bias or special material is considered. We then experimentally demonstrate reciprocal heat transfer in a time-modulated device. Our findings correct previous misconceptions regarding reciprocity breaking for thermal diffusion, revealing the generality of symmetry constraints in heat transfer, and clarifying its differences from other transport processes in what concerns the principles of reciprocity and microscopic reversibility.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2021

Hybridized hyperbolic surface phonon polaritons at α-MoO3 and polar dielectric interfaces

Surface phonon polaritons (SPhPs) in polar dielectrics offer new opportunities for infrared nanophotonics due to sub-diffraction confinement with low optical losses. Though the polaritonic field confinement can be significantly improved by modifying the dielectric environment, it is challenging to break the fundamental limits in photon confinement and propagation behavior of SPhP modes. In particular, as SPhPs inherently propagate isotropically in these bulk polar dielectrics, how to collectively realize ultra-large field confinement, in-plane hyperbolicity and unidirectional propagation remains elusive. Here, we report an approach to solve the aforementioned issues of bulk polar dielectric's SPhPs at one go by constructing a heterostructural interface between biaxial van der Waals material (e.g., MoO3) and bulk polar dielectric (e.g., SiC, AlN, and GaN). Due to anisotropy-oriented mode couplings at the interface, the hybridized SPhPs with a large confinement factor (>100) show in-plane hyperbolicity that has been switched to the orthogonal direction as compared to that in natural MoO3. More interestingly, this proof of concept allows steerable, angle-dependent and unidirectional polariton excitation by suspending MoO3 on patterned SiC air cavities. Our finding exemplifies a generalizable framework to manipulate the flow of nano-light and engineer unusual polaritonic responses in many other hybrid systems consisting of van der Waals materials and bulk polar dielectrics.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2020

Diffusive non-reciprocity and thermal diode

Wave propagation and diffusion in linear materials preserve local reciprocity in terms of a symmetric Green's function. For wave propagations, the relation between the fields entering and leaving a system is more relevant than the detailed information about the fields inside it. In such cases, the global reciprocity of the scattering off a system through several ports is more important, which is defined as the symmetric transmission between the scattering channels. When a two-port system supports non-reciprocal (electromagnetic, acoustic) wave propagation, it is a (optical, phonon) diode directly following the definition. However, to date no concrete definition or discussion has been made on the global reciprocity of diffusive processes through a multiple-port system. It thus remains unclear what are the differences and relations between the three concepts, namely local non-reciprocity, global non-reciprocity, and diode effect in diffusion. Here, we provide theoretical analysis on the frequency-domain Green's function and define the global reciprocity of heat diffusion through a two-port system, which has a different setup from that of a thermal diode. We further prove the equivalence between a heat transfer system with broken steady-state global reciprocity and a thermal diode, assuming no temperature-dependent heat generation. The validities of some typical mechanisms in breaking the diffusive reciprocity and making a thermal diode have been discussed. Our results set a general background for future studies on symmetric and asymmetric diffusive processes.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2020

Observation of nonreciprocal magneto-optical scattering in nonencapsulated few-layered CrI3

Magneto-optical effect refers to a rotation of polarization plane, which has been widely studied in traditional ferromagnetic metal and insulator films and scarcely in two-dimensional layered materials. Here we uncover a new nonreciprocal magneto-inelastic light scattering effect in ferromagnetic few-layer CrI3. We observed a rotation of the polarization plane of inelastic light scattering between -20o and +60o that are tunable by an out-of-plane magnetic field from -2.5 to 2.5 T. It is experimentally observed that the degree of polarization can be magnetically manipulated between -20% and 85%. This work raises a new magneto-optical phenomenon and could create opportunities of applying 2D ferromagnetic materials in Raman lasing, topological photonics, and magneto-optical modulator for information transport and storage.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Breaking Anti-$\mathcal{PT}$ Symmetry by Spinning a Resonator

Non-Hermitian systems, with symmetric or antisymmetric Hamiltonians under the parity-time ($\mathcal{PT}$) operations, can have entirely real eigenvalues. This fact has led to surprising discoveries such as loss-induced lasing and topological energy transfer. A merit of anti-$\mathcal{PT}$ systems is free of gain, but in recent efforts on making anti-$\mathcal{PT}$ devices, nonlinearity is still required. Here, counterintuitively, we show how to achieve anti-$\mathcal{PT}$ symmetry and its spontaneous breaking in a linear device by spinning a lossy resonator. Compared with a Hermitian spinning device, significantly enhanced optical isolation and ultrasensitive nanoparticle sensing are achievable in the anti-$\mathcal{PT}$-broken phase. In a broader view, our work provides a new tool to study anti-$\mathcal{PT}$ physics, with such a wide range of applications as anti-$\mathcal{PT}$ lasers, anti-$\mathcal{PT}$ gyroscopes, and anti-$\mathcal{PT}$ topological photonics or optomechanics.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2020

Can scaling analysis be used to interpret the anti-parity-time symmetry in heat transfer?

In a previous work (Li et al. Science 364, 170) [1], we proposed a heat transfer system that preserves the anti-parity-time (APT) symmetry, and observe the rest-to-motion phase transition during the symmetry breaking. Recently, it was suggested (Zhao et al. arXiv:1906.08431) [2] that the behaviours of the system can be understood using scaling analysis based on the Péclet and Nusselt numbers (Pe and Nu). It was further proposed that there exists a third regime in the phase diagram in addition to the symmetric and symmetry broken phases. Although we appreciate the proposal to characterize the contributions of coupling, diffusion, and advection with dimensionless numbers, here we show that they do not help to predict or interpret the behaviours of the APT system. The dimensionless numbers do not provide enough details about the system to conclude that there is a motionless phase, a phase transition, to find the critical point, or to give the correct phase diagram with only two regimes.

physics.flu-dyn↗