Sajeev John

Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Canada

Viernes 17/12/2010, 14 hs
Aula Federman, 1er piso, Pabellón I 

Photonic band gap (PBG) materials are artificial periodic dielectric microstructures capable of trapping light in three-dimensions on sub-wavelength scales without absorption loss. This offers new opportunities for efficient solar energy trapping and harvesting in suitably microstructured thin films. It also enables virtually complete control of the flow of light on microscopic scales in a 3D optical chip as well as very strong coupling of light to matter where desired. By further engineering the electromagnetic density of states within the chip it is possible to realize unprecedented coherent optical control of the quantum state of resonant atoms or quantum dots. This defines a fundamentally new strong-coupling regime for quantum optics. It enables multiple-wavelength channel optical logic to be performed on a chip on picosecond time scales at microwatt power levels. I discuss further consequences of light trapping in classical and quantum electrodynamics. I also discuss the challenges and requirements for materials fabrication to realize these remarkable effects.