Soft photonic crystal driven innovative optical metamaterial to realize high quality factor band- edge lasing

'Integrated photonics is a highly promising technology for next-generation photonic materials, and has been identified as a key research area for Europes digital transformation, fulfilling EU sustainability goals. Compact and coherent micro-lasers are essential components as light sources in photonic integrated circuits. Optical metamaterials is an emerging area of nanophotonics research, in which the electrical and magnetic resonances of the sub-wavelength components, manipulate light at the nanoscale. Precise spectral tuning of the resonances leads to collective interferences with demonstrated potential for realizing high-efficiency micro-lasers. MetaPhoton aims to develop an innovative optical metamaterial-based lasing system with the soft photonic blue phase liquid crystal (BPLC) as the active medium. The host BPLC, whose immense potential as an optical metamaterial is yet unexplored, serves a dual purpose: (i) supports nanoparticle lattice to form metamaterial, and (ii) exhibits photonic band gap guided resonance modes, which interfere with particle-driven optical resonances. The collective interferences in the soft photonic metamaterial are promising to drive next-generation high quality factor (Q) photonic band edge micro-lasers. The project gains strength from my previous experience in soft photonics & optical metamaterials, combined with the extensive experience of the host supervisor in LC-based photonic systems and that of the collaborators in nanophotonic imaging and spectroscopy. While the optical metamaterials field has passed its naissance and is emerging into a matured research stage, MetaPhoton is set to inspire a new research area soft photonic crystal-induced high-Q nanophotonics, which is highly relevant now to advance the field. The research and career development skills gained during the fellowship by working on this cutting-edge project will be the key to establishing myself as an independent researcher.