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Threading light through dynamic complex media

delete2025-03-14
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OA
AI
C
Chaitanya K. Mididoddi
R
Robert J. Kilpatrick
C
Christina Sharp
P
Philipp del Hougne
S
S. A. R. Horsley
D
David B. Phillips *
DOI:10.1038/s41566-025-01642-zdelete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
The dynamic scattering of light impacts sensing and communication technologies throughout the electromagnetic spectrum. Here we introduce a new way to control the propagation of light through time-varying complex media. Our strategy is based on the observation that in many dynamic scattering systems, some parts of the medium will change configuration more slowly than others. We experimentally demonstrate a suite of new techniques to identify and guide light through the more temporally stable channels within dynamic scattering media-threading optical fields around multiple highly dynamic pockets hidden at unknown locations inside. We first show how the temporal fluctuations in scattered light can be suppressed by optimizing the wavefront of the incident field. Next, we demonstrate how to accelerate this procedure by two orders of magnitude using a physically realized form of adjoint gradient descent optimization. Finally, we show how the time-averaged transmission matrix reveals a basis of temporal fluctuation eigenchannels that can be used to increase the stability of beam shaping through time-varying complex media such as bending multimode fibres. Our work has potential future applications to a variety of technologies reliant on general wave phenomena subject to dynamic conditions, from optics to microwaves and acoustics.
Keywords:
OPTICAL-PHASE CONJUGATION
FOCUSING LIGHT
SCATTERING MEDIA
TRANSMISSION-MATRIX
COMMUNICATION
LOCALIZATION
OPTIMIZATION

Journal

Nature Photonics cover
Nature Photonics
IF:
32.9
Papers:
4.3K
Citations:
6.1W

Organization

U
Univ Exeter
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983
Papers: 637
Citations: 305
U
Univ Rennes
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681
Papers: 363
Citations: 106