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Optomechanical nonreciprocity

Nature Physics volume 13, pages 922–924 (2017)Cite this article

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The two-way symmetry of electromagnetic wave propagation can be broken effectively in optomechanical systems, enabling new devices that route photons in unconventional ways.

In general, wave propagation, from sound to light, is two-way symmetric — forward and backward paths are identical. Breaking this symmetry, or Lorentz reciprocity, has proven extremely useful in improving information capacity in communication technology and in protecting sensitive sources (optical isolation)1,2. A direct way to practically achieve nonreciprocity is to bias the propagation channel through a static quantity that does not reverse with time — a d.c. magnetic field, for instance. For electromagnetic waves, however, this solution requires magneto-optic materials, which are inherently difficult to integrate and miniaturize. Thus, a search started for alternative biasing gauges, such as directional parametric temporal modulation.

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Figure 1: One-way transmission in optomechanical systems.

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Acknowledgements

We thank F. Ruesink, M.-A. Miri and J. P. Mathew for discussions and we both acknowledge support from the Office of Naval Research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Nanophotonics at AMOLF, Science Park 104, Amsterdam, 1098 XG, The Netherlands

    Ewold Verhagen

  2. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, 1616 Guadalupe Street, Austin, 78712, Texas, USA

    Andrea Alù

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  1. Ewold Verhagen
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Correspondence to Ewold Verhagen or Andrea Alù.

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Verhagen, E., Alù, A. Optomechanical nonreciprocity. Nature Phys 13, 922–924 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys4283

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