Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Optics and Photonics News

Applications of Slow Light in Telecommunications

Robert W. Boyd, Daniel J. Gauthier, Alexander L. Gaeta

Published Apr 1, 2006• 233 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Exotic effects such as slow light, fast light and even stored light have been observed in the laboratory. Now, optical scientists are turning their attention toward developing applications of slow light, including controllable optical delay lines, optical buffers and true time delay methods for synthetic aperture radar.
DOI
10.1364/opn.17.4.000018

Related papers

Photonic Technologies to Enable Slow Light Applications

Joseph E. Vornehm

Slow light is light that travels at unusual, extreme group velocities—sometimes as slow as walking speed or slower. Light waves can be described by many velocities, but for a narrow-band pulse of light (a carrier frequency modulated by an envelope), the group velocity is the speed of the pulse envelope. The term slow light also encompasses other exotic group velocities due to similar techniques, including fast light, stopped light, and backwards light. The science of slow light has been established over the past several years, and research attention is now turning to potential applications of slow light. One application of slow light is as an all-optical true-time delay. Two slow light methods in optical fibers, stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) and dispersive delay, are used to provide a controllable pulse delay in a prototype slow-light phased-array laser radar, called SLIDAR. These slow light methods compensate the group delay mismatch of pulses of 6 ns duration while the phased array is steered in two dimensions. A phase control system is described that maintains phase lock among three signal channels and a reference channel, each containing 2.2 km of optical fiber, while accommodating the demands of the slow light techniques. Residual phase error is kept below π /5 radians (1/10 wave) RMS. Slow light can also enhance the spectral sensitivity of spectrometers and interferometers. A design for a slow-light-enhanced nanophotonic spectrometer is presented. One important use of spectrometers is to detect specific chemicals, and I describe an approach to multivariate optical computation, which can be used for automatic chemical spectrum recognition. This technique, which could one day be implemented with a slow-light-enhanced spectrometer as a single-chip chemical detection platform, is explored experimentally in the visible spectrum using a spatial light modulator.

•Jan 1, 2014•0 citations

Potentialities of slow and fast light in optical fibers

Luc Thévenaz A, Miguel González‐Herráez, Sanghoon Chin

The ubiquitous role of optical fibers in modern photonic systems has stimulated research to realize slow and fast light devices directly in this close-to-perfect transmission line. Recent progress in developing optically-controlled delays in optical fibers, operating under normal environmental conditions and at telecommunications wavelengths, has paved the way towards real applications for slow and fast light. Advanced schemes can be realized thanks to the extremely flexible possibility to shape the gain spectrum to make it optimized for applications. Ultra wide bandwidth, delaying with flat amplitude response and lower distortion were successfully demonstrated this way.

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•Jan 7, 2009•0 citations

Slow and Fast-Light in optical fibers ’ An overview

Ronny Henker, Thomas Schneider, Kai-Uwe Lauterbach +3 more

Slow- and fast-light is the control of the velocity of light in a medium by light. As a fascinating new field in physics there is a fundamental interest on this effect on the one side, but on the other side there exist a lot of practical applications for telecommunication and information systems. Among these are optical signal processing, the radio frequency-photonics, nonlinear optics and spectroscopy in time domain. Furthermore, the slow- and fast-light effect can be seen as a key technology for optical delay lines, buffers, equalizers and synchronizers in packed switched networks. To realize the effect there are different methods and material systems possible. Beside these especially the nonlinear effect of stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) is of special interest because it has several advantages. This article gives an overview about the fundamentals and limits of the slow-and fast-light effect in general and based on the SBS in optical fibers. Some experimental results which were achieved so far are shown.

International Students and Young Scientists workshop Photonics and Microsystems•Jul 1, 2007•4 citations

Slow and Fast Light in Semiconductor Quantum-Well and Quantum-Dot Devices

Connie J. Chang-Hasnain, Shun Lien Chuang

The ability to manipulate the speed of light has recently become one of the most exciting emergent topics in optics. There are several experimental demonstrations showing the capability to slow down light more than six orders of magnitude in a variety of media, ranging from atomic vapor, solid state crystal, to semiconductors. These results have led to intensive research into new materials, devices, and system studies that examine their impact to new applications. It is believed that we are on the verge of a dramatic change in the way we envision and construct communication, processing and control systems. One direct application of slow and fast light devices is in the area of communications. One grand challenge remaining in information technology today is to store and buffer optical signals directly in optical format. As such, optical signals must be converted to electronic signals to route, switch, or be processed. This resulted in significant latencies and traffic congestions in current networks. In addition, keeping the data in optical domain during the routing process can greatly reduce the power, complexity and size of the routers. To this end, a controllable optical delay line can effectively function as an optical buffer, and the storage is proportional to the variability of the group velocity. In addition to optical buffers, slow and fast light devices can be used as tunable true-time delay elements in microwave photonics, which are important for remotely controlling phased array antenna. Other novel applications include nonlinear optics, optical signal processing, and quantum information processing. There are various approaches that can be used to vary the optical group velocity. Ultraslow or fast group velocity may result from a large material dispersion, waveguide dispersion, or both. In this paper, the authors provide a review of recent progress of slow and fast light using semiconductor devices. Specifically, they will discuss results obtained using semiconductor quantum-well/quantum-dot absorber and optical amplifiers. Slow and fast light are controllable electrically by changing the bias current or voltage as well as optically by changing the pump laser intensity and wavelength. Delay-bandwidth tradeoff and other figures of merits are analyzed

Journal of Lightwave Technology•Dec 1, 2006•131 citations

Toward Applications of Slow Light Technology

Enrique Parra, John R. Lowell

Scientists working for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) are making progress toward the development of robust, integrated devices that can slow, store and process light pulses. Their research will have a far-reaching impact on high-speed optical processing, telecommunications networks and quantum information science.

Optics and Photonics News•Nov 1, 2007•82 citations

Fast and Slow Light

Guang S. He

Fast or slow light propagation means that the group velocity of a quasi-monochromatic light pulse propagating in a resonant medium can be significantly faster or slower than the light speed in a vacuum. Since the end of the last century and the beginning of this century, studies on this subject have attracted a great deal of interest. Remarkable progress has been achieved, based on various nonlinear optical interactions in resonant media. The fundamental research on this subject can enrich our understanding of special relativity and causality in physics. On the other hand, those mechanisms and techniques developed for fast and slow light propagation have provided the potential for many future applications, such as optical buffers and variable delay lines for optical networks, optical computing, optical telecommunications, optical data storage, and signal processing.

Oxford University Press eBooks•Oct 30, 2014•0 citations
Slow light is light that travels at unusual, extreme group velocities—sometimes as slow as walking speed or slower. Light waves can be described by many velocities, but for a narrow-band pulse of light (a carrier frequency modulated by an envelope), the group velocity is the speed of the pulse envelope. The term slow light also encompasses other exotic group velocities due to similar techniques, including fast light, stopped light, and backwards light. The science of slow light has been established over the past several years, and research attention is now turning to potential applications of slow light. One application of slow light is as an all-optical true-time delay. Two slow light methods in optical fibers, stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) and dispersive delay, are used to provide a controllable pulse delay in a prototype slow-light phased-array laser radar, called SLIDAR. These slow light methods compensate the group delay mismatch of pulses of 6 ns duration while the phased array is steered in two dimensions. A phase control system is described that maintains phase lock among three signal channels and a reference channel, each containing 2.2 km of optical fiber, while accommodating the demands of the slow light techniques. Residual phase error is kept below π /5 radians (1/10 wave) RMS. Slow light can also enhance the spectral sensitivity of spectrometers and interferometers. A design for a slow-light-enhanced nanophotonic spectrometer is presented. One important use of spectrometers is to detect specific chemicals, and I describe an approach to multivariate optical computation, which can be used for automatic chemical spectrum recognition. This technique, which could one day be implemented with a slow-light-enhanced spectrometer as a single-chip chemical detection platform, is explored experimentally in the visible spectrum using a spatial light modulator.
The ubiquitous role of optical fibers in modern photonic systems has stimulated research to realize slow and fast light devices directly in this close-to-perfect transmission line. Recent progress in developing optically-controlled delays in optical fibers, operating under normal environmental conditions and at telecommunications wavelengths, has paved the way towards real applications for slow and fast light. Advanced schemes can be realized thanks to the extremely flexible possibility to shape the gain spectrum to make it optimized for applications. Ultra wide bandwidth, delaying with flat amplitude response and lower distortion were successfully demonstrated this way.
Slow- and fast-light is the control of the velocity of light in a medium by light. As a fascinating new field in physics there is a fundamental interest on this effect on the one side, but on the other side there exist a lot of practical applications for telecommunication and information systems. Among these are optical signal processing, the radio frequency-photonics, nonlinear optics and spectroscopy in time domain. Furthermore, the slow- and fast-light effect can be seen as a key technology for optical delay lines, buffers, equalizers and synchronizers in packed switched networks. To realize the effect there are different methods and material systems possible. Beside these especially the nonlinear effect of stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) is of special interest because it has several advantages. This article gives an overview about the fundamentals and limits of the slow-and fast-light effect in general and based on the SBS in optical fibers. Some experimental results which were achieved so far are shown.
The ability to manipulate the speed of light has recently become one of the most exciting emergent topics in optics. There are several experimental demonstrations showing the capability to slow down light more than six orders of magnitude in a variety of media, ranging from atomic vapor, solid state crystal, to semiconductors. These results have led to intensive research into new materials, devices, and system studies that examine their impact to new applications. It is believed that we are on the verge of a dramatic change in the way we envision and construct communication, processing and control systems. One direct application of slow and fast light devices is in the area of communications. One grand challenge remaining in information technology today is to store and buffer optical signals directly in optical format. As such, optical signals must be converted to electronic signals to route, switch, or be processed. This resulted in significant latencies and traffic congestions in current networks. In addition, keeping the data in optical domain during the routing process can greatly reduce the power, complexity and size of the routers. To this end, a controllable optical delay line can effectively function as an optical buffer, and the storage is proportional to the variability of the group velocity. In addition to optical buffers, slow and fast light devices can be used as tunable true-time delay elements in microwave photonics, which are important for remotely controlling phased array antenna. Other novel applications include nonlinear optics, optical signal processing, and quantum information processing. There are various approaches that can be used to vary the optical group velocity. Ultraslow or fast group velocity may result from a large material dispersion, waveguide dispersion, or both. In this paper, the authors provide a review of recent progress of slow and fast light using semiconductor devices. Specifically, they will discuss results obtained using semiconductor quantum-well/quantum-dot absorber and optical amplifiers. Slow and fast light are controllable electrically by changing the bias current or voltage as well as optically by changing the pump laser intensity and wavelength. Delay-bandwidth tradeoff and other figures of merits are analyzed
Fast or slow light propagation means that the group velocity of a quasi-monochromatic light pulse propagating in a resonant medium can be significantly faster or slower than the light speed in a vacuum. Since the end of the last century and the beginning of this century, studies on this subject have attracted a great deal of interest. Remarkable progress has been achieved, based on various nonlinear optical interactions in resonant media. The fundamental research on this subject can enrich our understanding of special relativity and causality in physics. On the other hand, those mechanisms and techniques developed for fast and slow light propagation have provided the potential for many future applications, such as optical buffers and variable delay lines for optical networks, optical computing, optical telecommunications, optical data storage, and signal processing.