TU/e CWTe - Andrea AlĂš - "Shaping Light and Radio-Waves in Space and Time with Metamaterialsâ"
Title: "Shaping Light and Radio-Waves in Space and Time with Metamaterialsâ"
You are kindly invited to the seminar âShaping Light and Radio-Waves in Space and Time with Metamaterialsâ, from prof. Andrea AlĂš, Founding Director of the Photonics Initiative at the City University of New York (CUNY) Advanced Science Research Center.
The seminar will take place on the 18th September, from 9:30-11:00 (room to be announced). Attendance: preferably in person, to facilitate interaction. However a Teams link is also available in this invitation. For planning purposes, please âacceptâ when you are planning to come in person and âtentativeâ when you will join online.
Abstract of the seminar
Metamaterials are artificial electromagnetic media engineered to exhibit properties that are difficult or impossible to achieve with naturally occurring materials. By tailoring their subwavelength structure, metamaterials provide unprecedented control over the propagation of light and other electromagnetic waves, enabling exotic functionalities of great relevance for many application areas.
In this talk, I will discuss recent advances in the control of light and radio-frequency waves using metamaterials and metasurfaces. Particular emphasis will be placed on dynamic and spatiotemporally modulated structures, whose properties can be varied in both space and time. These platforms extend the capabilities of conventional passive devices by enabling non-reciprocal wave propagation, frequency conversion, adaptive beam steering, programmable electromagnetic environments, and novel mechanisms for signal processing and communication.
I will discuss the fundamental physical principles underlying extreme wave control with metamaterials, highlighting the role of symmetries, material design, and the impact on emerging technologies. Examples spanning optical and radio-frequency regimes will illustrate how engineered materials can reshape the interaction between waves and matter, opening new opportunities in wireless communications, sensing, imaging, quantum technologies, and integrated photonic systems.
Biography of the speaker:
Andrea AlĂš is a Distinguished Professor at the City University of New York (CUNY), the Founding Director of the Photonics Initiative at the CUNY Advanced Science Research Center, and the Einstein Professor of Physics at the CUNY Graduate Center. He received his Laurea (2001) and PhD (2007) from the University of Roma Tre, Italy, and, after a postdoc at the University of Pennsylvania, he joined the faculty of the University of Texas at Austin in 2009, where he was the Temple Foundation Endowed Professor until 2018.
His research interests span over nanophotonics, metamaterials and wave physics.
Dr. AlĂš is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), the Italian Academy of Engineering, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), the Materials Research Society (MRS), Optica, the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE) and the American Physical Society (APS). He is a Senior Fellow of the Simons Society of Fellows and a Life Member of the New York Academy of Sciences. He is a Highly Cited Researcher since 2017, a Simons Investigator in Physics, the director of the Simons Collaboration on Extreme Wave Phenomena Based on Symmetries, and the Editor in Chief of Optical Materials Express.He has received several scientific awards, including the NSF Alan T. Waterman award, the Blavatnik National Award for Physical Sciences and Engineering, the IEEE Kiyo Tomiyasu Award, the ICO Prize in Optics, the Optica Max Born Award, and the URSI Issac Koga Gold Medal.
