Photonic Band Gap Materials: Light Trapping Crystals

Photonic band gap (PBG) materials [1,2] are artificial periodic dielectric microstructures capable of trapping light in three-dimensions [3] on sub-wavelength scales without absorption loss. This offers new opportunities for efficient solar energy trapping and harvesting in suitably microstructured thin films [4]. It also enables virtually complete control of the flow of light on microscopic scales in a 3D optical chip [5-7] as well as very strong coupling of light to matter where desired. By further engineering the electromagnetic density of states [8-10] within the chip it is possible to realize unprecedented coherent optical control of the quantum state of resonant atoms or quantum dots [11, 12]. This defines a fundamentally new strong-coupling regime for quantum optics. It enables multiple-wavelength channel optical logic to be performed on a chip on picosecond time scales at microwatt power levels.

I discuss further consequences of light trapping in classical and quantum electrodynamics. I also discuss the challenges and requirements for materials fabrication to realize these remarkable effects.

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