Advancements in optical switching and optical wireless technology.
Professor Jonathan Holzman studies the science and application of light. He and his group develop small-scale nano-photonic devices through to large-scale optical wireless communication systems—all to address the key challenges of modern communications. The group has developed nano-photonic devices based upon photonic nanojets and semiconductor nanoparticles to bring about optical switching on femtosecond timescales with femtojoule switching energies. Such developments can help overcome the ‘electronic bottlenecks’ seen in modern optical fibre networks, which prevent functioning at their ‘all-optical’ potential. The group has also developed architectures for optical wireless systems to enable high-speed communication, over terrestrial and/or aerial links, without being tethered by optical fibres. To this end, the group has introduced passive links that lessen the alignment sensitivity, power consumption, and overall mass of the mobile transceivers. Such technology can play a key role in emerging ground-to-satellite free-space-optical communication systems for which the satellite’s power and payload are critical.
