Abstract: A method of growing robust large area colloidal photonic crystals and devices produced thereby. A suspension of monosized colloidal spheres (1) is subjected to a composite shear (6) by applying a sequential set of shearing forces. The crystalline layers within the colloid experience shearing forces with components in both x and y directions, forcing the colloid into a singe face-centered-cubic structure in preference to a twinned face-centered-cubic structure. The method may also comprise the use of a dispersion medium which is capable of undergoing a controllable phase change from a liquid phase to a solid phase. The crystal may be fixed into a single face-centered cubic structure.

Abstract: A cryptographic receiver (10) includes photon detectors (52, 54, 56, 58) arranged to detect photons arriving from filters (22) and (24). A fiber coupler (14) randomly distributes each received photon (16) from an optical fiber toone of two photon channels (18, 20). The filters (22, 24) are each unbalanced Mach-Zehner interferometers with a phase modulator (34, 44) in one arm (28, 38). The filters (22, 24) impose non-orthogonal measurement bases on photons within the respective channels (18, 20). A signal processor (60) derives a cryptographic key-code by analysis of signals received from the photon detectors (52, 54, 46, 58).

Abstract: An optical communications system (10) comprises a transmitter (12) and a receiver (14). A source (16) of correlated pairs of photons of conjugate energies provides first and second photon beams (38, 36). The first photon beam (38) passes through a modulated filter (50) to which a communications signal (52) is applied. A variable spectrum beam (54) is produced which is converted to a timing signal (68) of macroscopic optical pulses (66). The second photon beam (36) and timing signal (68) are transmitted to the receiver (14). The received timing signal (84) is converted to a series of electrical timing pulses (90). The received second photon beam (82) passes through an unmodulated filter (94) matched to the modulated filter (50) when the signal (52) is not applied. The unmodulated filter splits the beam (82) into two conjugate spectra photon beams (96, 98) which are then converted to first and second series of electrical pulses (108, 110) respectively.