Department of Applied Physics

Description

Nanoscience and Quantum Engineering

My research interests lie in the study of basic physics properties of nanophotonic structures including photonic crystals, meta-materials and plasmonic structures. There is a significant emphasis on developing advanced computational techniques in order to accurately model these structures from first principles. We are also actively exploring the device applications of nanophotonic structures, with areas of interest including information and energy technologies.

Condensed Matter Physics

Some of the theoretical and computational techniques are directly borrowed from condensed matter theory. The applications of these techniques into photonics area also deepen one's understanding of many of the issues in theoretical and computational condensed matter physics.

Courses Taught

• Guided Wave Optical Devices
• Nanophotonics
• Basic Physics for Solid State Electronics

Selected Publications

• Strongly correlated two-photon transport in a one-dimensional waveguide coupled to a two-level atom
• One-way electromagnetic waveguide formed at the interface between a plasmonic metal under static magnetic field and a photonic crystal
• Three-dimensional meta-material with an ultra-high refractive index over broad bandwidth
• Deep-subwavelength focusing and steering of light in an aperiodic metallic waveguide array
• Complete optical isolation created by indirect interband photonic transitions
• Single-molecule fluorescence enhancements produced by a Bowtie nanoantenna
• Photonic band structure of dispersive meta-materials formulated as a Hermitian eigenvalue problem
• Thermal rectification through vacuum
• Super-scattering of light from sub-wavelength nano-structures
• Fundamental limit of nanophotonic light trapping in solar cells