Experimental observation of the trapped rainbow

We report on the experimental demonstration of the broadband trapped rainbow in the visible frequency range using an adiabatically tapered optical nano waveguide. Being a distinct case of the slow light phenomenon, the trapped rainbow effect could be applied to optical computing and signal processing, such as spectroscopy on a chip, and to providing enhanced light-matter interactions. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3442501]