Slowing and stopping light using an optomechanical crystal array

TLDR

All‑optical information processing requires the ability to delay or coherently store light, a key component for managing information flow in complex optical networks and for quantum memory applications. The study proposes a novel light‑storage method using an optical waveguide coupled to an optomechanical crystal array that can dynamically and coherently transfer light into long‑lived mechanical vibrations. This approach relies on coupling the waveguide to the array to shuttle optical energy into mechanical modes for storage. Under realistic conditions, the system can achieve large bandwidths and storage/delay times in a compact on‑chip platform.

Abstract

One of the major advances needed to realize all-optical information processing of light is the ability to delay or coherently store and retrieve optical information in a rapidly tunable manner. In the classical domain, this optical buffering is expected to be a key ingredient to managing the flow of information over complex optical networks. Such a system also has profound implications for quantum information processing, serving as a long-term memory that can store the full quantum information contained in an optical pulse. Here we suggest a novel approach to light storage involving an optical waveguide coupled to an optomechanical crystal array, where light in the waveguide can be dynamically and coherently transferred into long-lived mechanical vibrations of the array. Under realistic conditions, this system is capable of achieving large bandwidths and storage/delay times in a compact, on-chip platform.