IEM Distinguished Lecturers Seminar: Scattering in Nanophotonic Systems
Abstract
Over a century ago, Gustav Mie introduced a quasi-analytical solution for light scattering by spheres, forming the basis for the T-matrix method. While initially developed for basic geometries, modern computational advances now enable its application to complex nanophotonic systems. This progress is driven by a dynamic interplay between computational capabilities and innovative experiments that come within reach.
Recent developments include four-dimensional photonic materials, i.e., spatially structured materials with time-varying properties that enable control over light in both space and time. Another example are photonic devices assembled from molecules. Whereas the properties of individual molecules are expressed using time-dependent density functional theory, the outcome needs to be fueled into the scattering formalism usually used in optics. Recently, we have established such a multi-scale modeling framework and applied it to both linear and non-linear properties of molecules in photonic devices.
This presentation highlights these innovations, emphasizing the synergy between theory, computation, and experiment in advancing studies of light-matter interactions.
Short biography
Carsten Rockstuhl received his Ph.D. from the University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland, in 2004. His dissertation focused on light interaction with micro- and nano-optical structures. Originally an experimentalist, he soon became captivated by the opportunity to investigate related phenomena through theoretical and computational approaches, and by the conclusion of his Ph.D. thesis, he was fully committed to advancing along this path. After postdoctoral research at AIST in Tsukuba, Japan he joined 2004 the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany, as a research assistant and later as a Junior Professor. Since 2013, he has been a Full Professor at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), where he leads the Theoretical Nanooptics group. His research encompasses nanophotonics, plasmonics, metamaterials, and quantum optics. Besides editorial roles in various journals, Carsten serves as the Dean of Studies for the Optics & Photonics program at KIT. He is also a Fellow of the Max Planck School of Photonics and a Fellow of Optica.
Over a century ago, Gustav Mie introduced a quasi-analytical solution for light scattering by spheres, forming the basis for the T-matrix method. While initially developed for basic geometries, modern computational advances now enable its application to complex nanophotonic systems. This progress is driven by a dynamic interplay between computational capabilities and innovative experiments that come within reach.
Recent developments include four-dimensional photonic materials, i.e., spatially structured materials with time-varying properties that enable control over light in both space and time. Another example are photonic devices assembled from molecules. Whereas the properties of individual molecules are expressed using time-dependent density functional theory, the outcome needs to be fueled into the scattering formalism usually used in optics. Recently, we have established such a multi-scale modeling framework and applied it to both linear and non-linear properties of molecules in photonic devices.
This presentation highlights these innovations, emphasizing the synergy between theory, computation, and experiment in advancing studies of light-matter interactions.
Short biography
Carsten Rockstuhl received his Ph.D. from the University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland, in 2004. His dissertation focused on light interaction with micro- and nano-optical structures. Originally an experimentalist, he soon became captivated by the opportunity to investigate related phenomena through theoretical and computational approaches, and by the conclusion of his Ph.D. thesis, he was fully committed to advancing along this path. After postdoctoral research at AIST in Tsukuba, Japan he joined 2004 the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany, as a research assistant and later as a Junior Professor. Since 2013, he has been a Full Professor at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), where he leads the Theoretical Nanooptics group. His research encompasses nanophotonics, plasmonics, metamaterials, and quantum optics. Besides editorial roles in various journals, Carsten serves as the Dean of Studies for the Optics & Photonics program at KIT. He is also a Fellow of the Max Planck School of Photonics and a Fellow of Optica.
Practical information
- General public
- Free