Caltech Researchers Develop 'Light Pumping' Technique for Faster Communications and Computing
Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have developed a novel 'light pumping' method that can steer light beams in femtoseconds, significantly faster than previous techniques. This breakthrough utilizes the optical Kerr effect, where intense light alters a medium's refractive index, to control the angle of a light beam. Unlike traditional methods that rely on altering the electronic properties of optical chips or liquid crystal panels, which operate in nanoseconds or picoseconds, the Caltech team uses light itself as the steering mechanism. By calibrating an intense 'pump' beam to match the optical composition of a medium, they can then shoot a less intense 'probe' beam through it at a new deflection angle. To enhance this effect, they applied amorphous silicon onto nanoscale pillars, allowing for a deflection angle of up to 13 degrees. This advancement could lead to unprecedented speeds in information transmission and processing. 
