Cellular automata dynamics of nonlinear optical processes in a phase-change material
Cellular automata dynamics of nonlinear optical processes in a phase-change material
Changes in the arrangement of atoms in matter, known as structural phase transitions or phase changes, offer a remarkable range of opportunities in photonics. They are exploited in optical data storage and laser-based manufacturing, and have been explored as underpinning mechanisms for controlling laser dynamics, optical and plasmonic modulation, and low-energy switching in single nanoparticle devices and metamaterials. Comprehensive modeling of phase-change processes in photonics is, however, extremely challenging as it involves a number of entangled processes including atomic/molecular structural change, domain and crystallization dynamics, change of optical properties in inhomogeneous composite media, and the transport and dissipation of heat and light, which happen on time and length scales spanning several orders of magnitude. Here, for the first time, we show that the description of such complex nonlinear optical processes in phase-change materials can be reduced to a cellular automata model. Using the important example of a polymorphic gallium film, we show that a cellular model based on only a few independent and physically-interpretable parameters can reproduce the experimentally measured behaviors of gallium all-optical switches over a wide range of optical excitation regimes. The cellular automata methodology has considerable heuristic value for the study of complex nonlinear optical processes without the need to understand details of atomic dynamics, band structure, and energy conservation at the nanoscale.
Zhang, Liwei
10fce21c-16d9-4096-b07a-cf2cab1591c0
Waters, Robin Francis
5e879468-af85-47d3-8db5-1c4b4d3eaad3
MacDonald, Kevin F.
76c84116-aad1-4973-b917-7ca63935dba5
Zheludev, Nikolai
32fb6af7-97e4-4d11-bca6-805745e40cc6
1 March 2021
Zhang, Liwei
10fce21c-16d9-4096-b07a-cf2cab1591c0
Waters, Robin Francis
5e879468-af85-47d3-8db5-1c4b4d3eaad3
MacDonald, Kevin F.
76c84116-aad1-4973-b917-7ca63935dba5
Zheludev, Nikolai
32fb6af7-97e4-4d11-bca6-805745e40cc6
Zhang, Liwei, Waters, Robin Francis, MacDonald, Kevin F. and Zheludev, Nikolai
(2021)
Cellular automata dynamics of nonlinear optical processes in a phase-change material.
Applied Physics Reviews, 8 (1), [011404].
(doi:10.1063/5.0015363).
Abstract
Changes in the arrangement of atoms in matter, known as structural phase transitions or phase changes, offer a remarkable range of opportunities in photonics. They are exploited in optical data storage and laser-based manufacturing, and have been explored as underpinning mechanisms for controlling laser dynamics, optical and plasmonic modulation, and low-energy switching in single nanoparticle devices and metamaterials. Comprehensive modeling of phase-change processes in photonics is, however, extremely challenging as it involves a number of entangled processes including atomic/molecular structural change, domain and crystallization dynamics, change of optical properties in inhomogeneous composite media, and the transport and dissipation of heat and light, which happen on time and length scales spanning several orders of magnitude. Here, for the first time, we show that the description of such complex nonlinear optical processes in phase-change materials can be reduced to a cellular automata model. Using the important example of a polymorphic gallium film, we show that a cellular model based on only a few independent and physically-interpretable parameters can reproduce the experimentally measured behaviors of gallium all-optical switches over a wide range of optical excitation regimes. The cellular automata methodology has considerable heuristic value for the study of complex nonlinear optical processes without the need to understand details of atomic dynamics, band structure, and energy conservation at the nanoscale.
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CA dynamics of phase-change optical nonlinearity
- Accepted Manuscript
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cellular automata - accepted manuscript
- Accepted Manuscript
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Accepted/In Press date: 21 December 2020
Published date: 1 March 2021
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
This work was supported by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (Grant EP/M009122/1), the Singapore Ministry of Education (Grant MOE2016-T3–1–006), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant U1804165).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Author(s).
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Local EPrints ID: 446019
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/446019
PURE UUID: a5614f13-20a8-45d5-8536-d0e9c38c046b
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Date deposited: 19 Jan 2021 17:31
Last modified: 06 Jun 2024 04:12
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Author:
Liwei Zhang
Author:
Robin Francis Waters
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