Article

Harvard researchers have engineered a chip-scale device capable of dynamically tuning the chirality of light, utilizing twisted bilayer photonic crystals and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS). The device allows real-time modulation of optical chirality through precise adjustments to the twist angle and interlayer spacing using MEMS actuators.

This technology presents significant advancements for chiral sensing, particularly in pharmaceuticals, and could enhance optical communications by exploiting polarization states. The study published in Optica demonstrates the device's ability to selectively transmit one circular polarization while suppressing the other, marking a major step in the development of tunable photonic devices.