Dipartimento di Fisica

15.00 - Winner over 40 category:
Prof. Giulia Galli
Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago
USA
 

Light-activated matter: from sustainability to quantum information science
We discuss several results of first principles, quantum mechanical calculations aimed at understanding and predicting light-activated processes in condensed matter. Our objective is to tackle two outstanding challenges: designing sustainable materials to efficiently capture solar energy and enable technologies deployable in both developed and developing countries, and inventing materials to build novel sensors and computers, to move in earnest into the quantum information age.

16.00 - Winner under 40 category:
Prof. Alexander Szameit
Institute of Physics, University of Rostock
Germany
 

Topological Photonics
In the context of photonics, topology has emerged as an abstract, yet surprisingly powerful, new paradigm for controlling the flow of light. As such, it holds great promise for a wide range of advanced applications, from scatter-free routing and switching of light along arbitrary three-dimensional trajectories to long-distance transmission of slow-light waves. In my talk, I will present an introduction to topology in photonics, with a particular focus on our work on the implementation of photonic Floquet topological insulators. The purpose is to review these and other recent developments, to discuss potential applications and to stimulate new conceptual ideas.