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May 30th, 2011, 15:04 GMT · By Tudor Vieru

New Trait for Graphene: Polarizing Light

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Graphene could be used as a light polarizer in the next generation of optical communication devices

Investigators from the Applied Science Faculty at the Free University Bruxelles announce the discovery of a new amazing property for graphene, and namely the fact that it can polarize light.

Now, Dr. Han Zhang at the Service OPERA-photonique's Applied Science Faculty, ULB, and Dr. Qiaoliang Bao (the first author) and professor Kian Ping Loh (corresponding author at the National University of Singapore, demonstrate the world's thinnest polarizer, which relies on the coupling, guiding and polarizing of electromagnetic waves by graphene.

They claim that this breakthrough will someday allow the integration on all-photonic circuits for high-speed optical communications.

This would enable faster data transfers between the computers of tomorrow. The advancement is made possible by the use of a bi-dimensional material that is only one atom thick.

Graphene is made up exclusively of carbon atoms, which are arranged in a hexagonal, honeycomb-like structure. This gives the compound superior electrical conductivity, and extremely diminished resistivity – both of which ar properties physicists are desperately looking for.

There is currently a great excitement among researchers that graphene will be the next big material. Some say that it will replace silicon as the main chemical used in the electronics industry shortly.

The most recent advancements in graphene research would seem to confirm this. However, it is important to remember that the material was only found 6 years ago, in the United Kingdom.

OPERA expert Dr. Han Zhang has now managed to pinpoint another of graphene's highly advanced chemical and physical properties. Working together with colleagues in Singapore, he was able to demonstrate the polarization of electromagnetic waves inside graphene.

Professor Kian Ping Loh, from the National University of Singapore Department of Chemistry, who is a graphene research expert, was the leader of this research project. The two experts say that optical polarizers are some of the most critical components of coherent and quantum optical communications.

At this point, sheet, prism and Brewster-angle polarizers are among the only options available for splitting the polarization state of an optical signal. Yet, they are extremely expensive and rather large.

Interestingly, the new graphene polarizer is capable of operating at a very broad operation bandwidth, due to the its exceptional energy band structure. This gives it yet another advantage over all other available options.

Details of the new research were published in the May 30 issue of the top journal Nature Photonics, AlphaGalileo reports.

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