research
Two Colors of Light Aim an Electron Beam
A semiconductor device steers current without an applied electric field by rotating the polarization of phase-coherent light.
Summary
A semiconductor device steers current without an applied electric field by rotating the polarization of phase-coherent light.
University of Michigan researchers built a semiconductor device in which two colors of light drive competing quantum absorption paths. By rotating the optical fields' polarization, the team directed a narrow electron current like a lighthouse beam without applying an electric field. The Physical Review Letters result demonstrates a previously predicted effect and may inform sensing or communications research, but it is not a finished optical-electronic product.
Why it matters
A semiconductor device steers current without an applied electric field by rotating the polarization of phase-coherent light.
Limits and context
- The Physical Review Letters result demonstrates a previously predicted effect and may inform sensing or communications research, but it is not a finished optical-electronic product.
Key claims
A semiconductor device steers current without an applied electric field by rotating the polarization of phase-coherent light.
Qualification: The Physical Review Letters result demonstrates a previously predicted effect and may inform sensing or communications research, but it is not a finished optical-electronic product.
Evidence: source-2026-07-22-012
Sources
- University of Michigan via Newswise: Electron lighthouseUniversity of Michigan via Newswise · official announcement
Corrections
No corrections have been recorded for this story.