Nanophotonic manipulation of angular momentum of light for information optics

Optical technology offers an environmentally-friendly, energy-efficient solution for managing big data. Information can now be encoded onto angular momentum (AM) of light which offers an additional degree of freedom that could significantly boost the bandwidth of optical technology. We developed a nanophotonic chip consisting of an array of nano-waveguides that could offer unparalleled levels of control over the AM of light at a nanoscale, leveraging the use of a tiny photonic device for parallel AM information processing. Our work opens up exciting avenues for on-chip AM applications like ultrahigh-definition displays, ultrahigh-bandwidth communications, ultra-secure optical encryptions, and highly-sensitive biological sensing.