Breakthrough research reveals that graphene can polarise light

According to Dr Han Zhang, pictured, from the Service Opera-photonique – Applied Science Faculty, ULB and Prof Loh from the National University of Singapore, this breakthrough could enable its integration on all photonic circuits for high speed optical communications. Optical polarisers are elementary components of coherent and quantum optical communications by splitting the polarisation state of an optical signal. With the demand for high speed optical communications calling for the miniaturisation of optoelectronic devices, conventional optical polarisers are often bulky and expensive. Graphene has an ultra broadband optical property induced by its exceptional energy band structure. By fabricating a graphene polariser, the researchers say this enables a low cost, compact footprint and broad operation range. The research, published in Nature Photonic, reveals that by using a fibre based optical channel, it is possible to uncover how graphene guides and interacts with electromagnetic waves with a polarising effect attributed to the differential attenuation of two polarisation modes. If the new conceptual finding leads to new physics, it could pave the way for all carbon photonic plasmonics devices.