Shedding light on the optical properties of graphene

"This new research has the potential to give us invaluable insight into the wonder material and how it interacts with light."Tom Constant, University of Exeter

Pioneering new research by physicists at the University of Exeter in the UK into the optical properties of the atom-thick sheets of carbon known as graphene could pave the way for miniaturized optical circuits and increased internet speeds.

In collaboration with the ICFO Institute in Barcelona, Spain, the physicists have used a ground-breaking new technique to trap light at the surface of graphene using pulses of laser light. Crucially, the team of scientists have also been able to steer this trapped light across the surface of the graphene, without the need for any nanoscale devices.

This dual breakthrough opens up a host of opportunities for advances in electronic products such as sensors and miniaturized integrated circuits. The new research is detailed in a paper in Nature Physics.

"This new research has the potential to give us invaluable insight into the wonder material and how it interacts with light," said Tom Constant, lead author on the paper and part of Exeter's Physics and Astronomy Department. "A more immediate commercial application could be a simple device that could easily scan a piece of graphene and tell you some key properties like conductivity, resistance and purity."

Constant and his colleagues used pulses of light to trap the light on the surface of commercially-available graphene. When trapped, the light converts into a quasi-particle called a 'surface plasmon', a mixture of both light and the graphene's electrons.

Additionally, the team are the first to demonstrate being able to steer the plasmons around the surface of the graphene, without the need for manufacturing complicated nanoscale systems. The ability both to trap light at a surface and direct it easily opens up new opportunities for a number of electronic-based devices, as well as helping to bridge the gap between electronics and light.

"Computers than can use light as part of their infrastructure have the potential to show significant improvement," said Constant. "Any advance that reveals more about light's interaction with graphene-based electronics will surely benefit the computers or smartphones of the future."

This story is adapted from material from the University of Exeter, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier. Link to original source.