Abstract
Dynamic optical isolation with all-optical switching capability is in great demand in advanced optical communications and all-optical signal processing systems. Most conventional optical isolators rely on Faraday rotation and are realized using micro/nanofabrication techniques, but it is not always straightforward to incorporate magneto-optical crystals into these compact systems. Here, we report the experimental demonstration of a reconfigurable all-optical isolator based on optical excitation of a gigahertz guided acoustic mode in a micrometre-sized photonic crystal fibre core. This device has remarkable advantages over its passive counterparts, including a large dynamic range of isolation, fast switching capability and reversibility, which provide new functionality that is useful in various types of all-optical systems. Devices based on similar physical principles could also be realized in CMOS-compatible silicon on-chip platforms.
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P.St.J.R. conceived the idea. M.S.K. designed and performed the experiments. M.S.K. and A.B. carried out the theoretical analysis. All authors discussed the results and wrote the manuscript.
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Kang, M., Butsch, A. & Russell, P. Reconfigurable light-driven opto-acoustic isolators in photonic crystal fibre. Nature Photon 5, 549–553 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2011.180
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2011.180
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