Wild new “gyromorph” materials could make computers insanely fast

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Researchers are exploring a new generation of computers that operate using light, or photons, instead of electrical currents. Systems that rely on light to store and process information could one day run far more efficiently and complete calculations much faster than conventional machines.

Light-driven computing is still at an early stage, and one of the main technical obstacles involves controlling tiny streams of light traveling through a chip. Rerouting these microscopic signals without weakening them requires carefully engineered materials. To keep signals strong, the hardware must include a lightweight substance that prevents stray light from entering from any direction. This type of material is known as an "isotropic bandgap material."

Discovery of Gyromorphs at NYU

Scientists at New York University have identified a new material called "gyromorphs" that meets this challenge more effectively than any other known structure. Gyromorphs combine features normally associated with liquids and crystals, yet they exceed both in their ability to block incoming light from all angles. The discovery, reported in Physical Review Letters, introduces a fresh strategy for tuning optical behavior and could help advance the development of photonic computers. "Gyromorphs are unlike any known structure in that their unique makeup gives rise to better isotropic bandgap materials than is possible with current approaches," says Stefano Martiniani, an assistant professor of physics, chemistry, mathematics and neural science, and the senior author of the study.

Why Existing Materials Fall Short

For decades, researchers have looked to quasicrystals when designing isotropic bandgap materials. These structures, first proposed by physicists Paul Steinhardt and Dov Levine in the 1980s and later observed by Dan Schechtman, follow mathematical rules but do not repeat like traditional crystals.
Despite their promise, quasicrystals come with a trade-off noted by the NYU team. They may completely block light, but only from limited directions. Alternatively, they can weaken light from all directions but fail to fully stop it. This limitation has driven scientists to search for alternatives that can block signal-degrading light more comprehensively.

Engineering New Metamaterials

In their Physical Review Letters study, the NYU researchers created "metamaterials," which are engineered structures whose properties depend on their architecture rather than on their chemical composition. One major challenge in designing these materials lies in understanding how their arrangement leads to desired physical behaviors.

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