Sound-light pulse in 2D materials for the first time

Koustav Maiti, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Centenary College, Rahara

Scientists from Technion – Israel Institute of Technology found evidence of the first-ever Sound-light pulse in 2D materials, i.e. the propagation of combined sound and light waves. It was done by using an ultrafast transmission electron microscope (UTEM)  in atomically thin materials. These experiments were conducted on the Robert and Ruth Magid Electron Beam Quantum Dynamics Laboratory. Professor Ido Kaminer of the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Faculty of Electrical & Computer Engineering and the Solid State Institute led these experiments.

Single-layer materials (2D materials) are the novel materials and it has a single layer of atoms. Graphene was the first 2D material discovered. This material was isolated in 2004 and a novel prize was given in 2010 for this reason. Now the Technion researchers reveal the movement of sound-light pulse in 2D materials for the first time.

We all know that light moves through space at around 3,00,000 km/s. But the light slows down fractionally when it passes through water or glass. Light also slows down a thousandfold while moving through certain layers of solids. This kind of incident occurs when light insists the atoms of these materials for vibrating to make sound waves (Phonons). Phonons also can make light during the time of vibration. In this way, the pulse is tied up with sound and light. This phenomenon is called Phonon-polariton. The researchers have shown co-movement of sound-light pulse in 2D materials. They also recorded these waves and found that pulses can increase and decrease the speed automatically. These waves also divide into 2 separate pulses and it also moves at different speeds.

As earlier written that this experiment was conducted by UTEM. The particles pass through the samples and after that, it is received by the detector. By this process, the scientists could track the sound-light wave both in space and time. We can not observe the hybrid waves by using an optical microscope as it moves inside the material. Most of the measurements of light in 2D materials are done by microscopy techniques. But the movement of the wave can be disturbed while using this technique. Now this new technique made by Technion researchers can make the image of the motion of light without disturbing the movement.

This system can be used in different types of physical phenomena. The scientists are planning experiments which will estimate vortices of light, analysis of chaos theory and simulations event occurring near black holes. On the other hand, atomically thin fibre optic cables can be produced which can be used in electrical circuits and transmit data without overheating the system. This technique is a real gem in ultrafast nano-optics and will surely help in many more scientific discoveries in future.

Also read: A Challenge to Central Dogma

Reference:

1. Kurman, Y., Dahan, R., Sheinfux, H. H., Wang, K., Yannai, M., Adiv, Y., Reinhardt, O., Tizei, L., Woo, S. Y., Li, J., Edgar, J. H., Kociak, M., Koppens, F., & Kaminer, I. (2021). Spatiotemporal imaging of 2D polariton wave packet dynamics using free electrons. Science (New York, N.Y.), 372(6547), 1181–1186. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abg9015

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