Joint NJIT Physics & Rutgers Physics-Chemistry Seminar

April 14th, Friday (*SPECIAL DAY*)

Dirty and Messy Nanophotonics

Dr. David Garcia

Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid &

Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain

(Materials Phys./Optics, Host: Rugters-Newark Physics/Chemistry Dept.)

SPECIAL ROOM at RUTGERS NEWARK CAMPUS(map)

Seminar: Smith 246 (Coffee: Smith 206)

SPECIAL TIME: 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm (Coffee: 2:30-3:30pm)

Precision is a virtue in science in general and nanotechnology in particular where carefully fabricated nanometer-scale devices hold great promise in both classical and quantum regimes. In particular, nanophotonics devices based with electron-beam lithography have promising applications ranging from ultra-compact lasers and sensors to quantum communication and information processing. In these systems, fabrication disorder is obviously unavoidable and represents a nuisance limiting the functionality of the device. However, this is not always the case. The complex interplay between order and disorder in nanophotonic structures leads to emergent phenomena like optical confinement and quantum-light enhancement and lasing or optomechanical coupling. In this talk, I will review very briefly some of the experiments I have been involved during the last few years where disorder is not only a drawback but the necessary ingredient to produce the functionality.

Micrograph (top view) of an optomechanical nanostructure. Detail of the roughness due to the fabrication process which leads to the localization of the electromagnetic field within the air gap.