Friday, October 28, 2016

IEEE Distinguished Seminar: "Space-Time Dualities and Temporal Imaging of Optical Waveforms" by Dr. Brian H. Kolner, 11.10.16/11:30-12.30PM/CREOL RM 103

IEEE Distinguished Seminar: "Space-Time Dualities and Temporal Imaging of Optical Waveforms" by Dr. Brian H. Kolner
Thursday, November 10, 2016 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM
CREOL Room 103

 http://www.creol.ucf.edu/NewsEvents/Attachments/Events/1178/Kolner.png
Prof. Brian H. Kolner

Abstract:There is an intriguing duality between the equations of Fresnel diffraction and narrowband dispersion. In addition, a quadratic time phase modulation applied to an optical waveform produces the dual of a lens; therefore, it can be thought of as a “time lens”. By combining appropriate dispersion before and after the time lens we can create the temporal analog of an imaging system which allows for magnification, demagnification and local time reversal of optical waveforms while preserving their envelope profiles. Time lenses can be realized by electro-optic modulation as well as optical parametric processes of both second and higher order. The requisite dispersion is realized by the natural dispersion available in optical fibers or with delay lines based on prisms or gratings. In this lecture I will develop the dualities between the diffraction and dispersion problems, present the defining characteristics of time lenses and develop the equations of temporal imaging, magnification, resolution, etc. Interesting applications include stretching time waveforms from the femtosecond to picosecond scale, pulse compression, signal processing and even temporal cloaking. The historical timeline for temporal imaging appears to have its roots in chirp radar, although all of the mathematics were available long before the advent of radar.

Biography:Brian Kolner received the B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1979 and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, Stanford, CA, in 1981 and 1985, respectively. He was a Member of the Technical Staff at Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, Palo Alto, CA, from 1985 to 1991, and in 1991, he joined the Electrical Engineering Department at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and became Vice Chairman for Undergraduate Affairs in 1993. At UCLA, he taught courses in microwave theory and measurements, Fourier optics, and quantum mechanics and conducted research on space-time duality and temporal imaging. In 1996, he moved to the University of California, Davis, where he held joint appointments in the Departments of Applied Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. His current research interests are in optical clocks, laser phase and amplitude noise, space-time analogies and terahertz spectroscopy. In 2015 he became a Visiting Scholar at the W. W. Hansen Laboratory of Experimental Physics at Stanford University where he collaborates on high-stability optical clocks. Dr. Kolner was awarded a David and Lucile Packard Foundation Fellowship in 1991. In 1996 and 2003 he served as Guest Editor for the IEEE Journal of Special Topics in Quantum Electronics. In 2009 Dr. Kolner shared an R&D 100 Award for developing the time-microscope, in 2010 he became a Fellow of the Optical Society of America and in 2012 he was elected a Fellow of the IEEE. He has been an IEEE Distinguished Lecturer for the Photonics Society for the 2015-2016 year and was recently named one of 125 People of Impact from the University of Wisconsin Electrical and Computer Engineering Department on occasion of their 125th anniversary.

For more information:
Juan He

OSA Graduate Research Symposium, 11.02.16/12:30-1:30PM/CREOL RM 103

OSA Graduate Research Symposium
Wednesday, November 2, 2016, 12:30-1:30 pm
CREOL Room 103


Ever wonder what the strange noises coming from the lab next to you are? Don’t really know what your friends and colleagues are actually working on? Come to the CREOL Graduate Research Symposium hosted by your OSA Student Chapter! This is a monthly symposium for CREOL students to present their work to other CREOL students. It’s a great opportunity to learn about other research being conducted within CREOL and to stimulate discussions and collaborations across different specializations. As a presenter, this provides a friendly informal atmosphere to polish your technical presenting skills or practice for an upcoming conference.

This month’s symposium features presentations by Peng Zhao from Dr. Eric Van Stryland/Dr. David Hagan ’s Nonlinear Optics group and Yangyang Sun from Dr. Shuo “Sean” Pang’s Optical Imaging Systems Laboratory group.


For more information:
Sepehr Benis

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

TOMORROW! OSA Student Chapter Seminar: "Casimir-like forces between particles under fluctuating optical fields" by J.J. Saenz

OSA Student Chapter Seminar: "Casimir-like forces between particles under fluctuating optical fields" by J.J. Saenz
Wednesday, October 26, 2016 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
CREOL Room 103

J.J. Sáenz
Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC)
Abstract:
We review some basic concepts related to the optical forces on small (subwavelength) particles, focusing on the interplay between scattering asymmetry and momentum transfer. We show that artificially created random fluctuating light fields can be used to induce and control isotropic Casimir-like forces between small colloidal particles.

Biography:
Prof. Juan Jose Saenz is Ikerbasque Research Professor at the Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC) in San Sebastian (Spain). He was involved in the first works on magnetic force microscopy (MFM) in collaboration with Prof. Güntherodt’s group in Basel. He got his PhD at Universidad Auto´noma de Madrid (UAM) in 1987 and completed his postdoctoral research at IBM-Zurich in Dr. H. Rohrer’s group. In 2003 he was Invited Professor at École Centrale Paris and Professor in the Condensed Matter Physics Department at UAM until 2015. His research interests include theoretical work on nano-optics, optical forces, modelling of scanning probe microscopies (SPM) and wave transport and molecular imaging in complex media. He has published over 180 papers with more than 4700 citations (Web of Science’s H-factor 42). He is member of the Optical Society of America (OSA).

For more information:
Midya Parto 

TODAY! Seminar: "You and PRL" By Samindranath Mitra, 10.25.16/12:00PM-1:00PM/CREOL RM 103

Seminar: "You and PRL" By Samindranath Mitra
Tuesday, October 25, 2016 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
CREOL Room 103

http://www.creol.ucf.edu/NewsEvents/Attachments/Events/1155/SamindranathMitra_medium%20(00000002).jpg
Samindranath Mitra
Editor, Physical Review Letters

Abstract:
As the focus of science journals changes from dissemination of research to validation of it, why should you continue to submit your best work to Physical Review Letters? What "added value" does and should the journal provide? How do its editors determine which of the approximately 10,000 papers that it receives each year to publish? I plan to address -- with plenty of interspersed Q & A and free-flowing discussion -- these and related issues.

Biography:
Samindranath (Sami) grew up in Kolkata and Delhi, and received his Ph.D. at Indiana University (Bloomington) in 1994 on theoretical aspects of the quantum Hall effect. After working on chemical physics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, he joined Physical Review Letters. In addition to overseeing much of condensed matter physics submissions for the journal, he handles papers on transport properties in semiconductors, 2D materials, and mesoscopic systems.

For additional information:
Dr. Aristide Dogariu

Monday, October 24, 2016

Seminar: "Highly nonlinear crystals for efficient mid-IR frequency conversion" by Peter G. Schunemann, 10.24.16/11:00AM-12:00PM/CREOL RM 103

Seminar: "Highly nonlinear crystals for efficient mid-IR frequency conversion" by Peter G. Schunemann
Monday, October 24, 2016 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
CREOL Room 103

Peter G. SchunemannBAE Systems, Inc.

Abstract:
Advances in growth of the birefringent crystals ZnGeP2 and CdSiP2, as well as all-epitaxial processing of orientation-patterned semiconductors GaAs (OP-GaAs) and GaP (OP-GaP), are extending solid-state laser output deep into the mid-infrared. These materials exhibit the highest nonlinear coefficients and broadest infrared transparency ranges among all practical nonlinear optical crystals. In this review paper we describe the attractive properties of these materials, along with the unique capabilities and novel crystal growth and processing that continue to provide record-breaking conversion efficiencies and output powers in the mid-infrared.

Biography:
Peter G. Schunemann has been a leading researcher in nonlinear optical materials for the last 30 years, authoring or co-authoring over 300 publications and 6 patents in the field. He is best known for developing the NLO chalcopyrite semiconductor ZnGeP2 (ZGP) for 2-micron-pumped mid-IR optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) for defense applications, primarily infrared countermeasures (IRCM). He was the first to grow large, crack-free, ZGP single crystals with sufficient quality for devices. He patented horizontal gradient freeze (HGF) growth in high-temperature transparent furnaces, and applied novel defect compensation and processing to achieve > 10-fold improvements in absorption loss, laser damage threshold, and 3-5-µm output power (world record–classified). He scaled his R&D process for production of ZGP crystals fielded in hundreds of IRCM laser systems mounted on military aircraft, successfully protecting against simultaneous multi-missile attacks.He has since demonstrated transparent HGF growth of exotic ternary and multinary compounds (AgGa1-xInxSe2, AgGaGeS4, AgGaTe2, HgGa2S4, CdGa2S4, CdGa2Se4, CaGa2S4, SrGa2S4, CaGa2Se4, GaSe) and applied understanding of defect chemistry to dramatically reduce optical losses in two other NLO chalcopyrites: CdGeAs2 (the highest d-coefficient of any known inorganic compound) and AgGaSe2, resulting in record conversion efficiencies for frequency doubling CO2-lasers. Mr. Schunemann rcenetly patented a new NLO chalcopyrite, CdSiP2, with the highest NLO coefficient of any crystal transparent and phase-matchable at 1064 nm and 1550 nm. In addition to birefringent materials, he successfully transitioned all-epitaxial growth of orientation-patterned gallium arsenide (OP-GaAs) – the first practical quasi-phasematched (QPM) semiconductor - from Stanford/AFRL to industry. He established dedicated MBE systems with auxiliary chambers for QPM template growth, and constructed a $3M Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy (HVPE) growth facility. He scaled OP-GaAs to 3” wafers with thicknesses up to 3.5 mm, reduced absorption losses by 4X, demonstrated multi-watt mid-IR output, the first cw OP-GaAs OPO, and the first cw OPO in any material pumped at a wavelength > 1.55 µm. External collaborations have achieved efficient THz output and femtosecond mid-IR frequency combs using OP-GaAs. This technology has recently been extended to orientation-patterned gallium phosphide (OP-GaP), an OP-GaAs analog that can be pumped at 1 µm or 1.55 µm with transparency out to 12 µm for next-generation LWIR devices. Numerous fs frequency converters in the 412 µm range have been demonstrated based on OP-GaP.

For more information:
Dr. Kenneth Schepler

Saturday, October 22, 2016

OSA Student Chapter Seminar: "Casimir-like forces between particles under fluctuating optical fields" by J.J. Saenz, 10.26.16/12:00PM-1:00PM/CREOL RM 103

OSA Student Chapter Seminar: "Casimir-like forces between particles under fluctuating optical fields" by J.J. Saenz
Wednesday, October 26, 2016 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
CREOL Room 103

J.J. Sáenz
Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC)
juanjo.saenz@dipc.org

Abstract:
We review some basic concepts related to the optical forces on small (subwavelength) particles, focusing on the interplay between scattering asymmetry and momentum transfer. We show that artificially created random fluctuating light fields can be used to induce and control isotropic Casimir-like forces between small colloidal particles.

Biography:
Prof. Juan Jose Saenz is Ikerbasque Research Professor at the Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC) in San Sebastian (Spain). He was involved in the first works on magnetic force microscopy (MFM) in collaboration with Prof. Güntherodt’s group in Basel. He got his PhD at Universidad Auto´noma de Madrid (UAM) in 1987 and completed his postdoctoral research at IBM-Zurich in Dr. H. Rohrer’s group. In 2003 he was Invited Professor at École Centrale Paris and Professor in the Condensed Matter Physics Department at UAM until 2015. His research interests include theoretical work on nano-optics, optical forces, modelling of scanning probe microscopies (SPM) and wave transport and molecular imaging in complex media. He has published over 180 papers with more than 4700 citations (Web of Science’s H-factor 42). He is member of the Optical Society of America (OSA).

For more information:
Midya Parto 

Thursday, October 20, 2016

LightPath Technologies Selected as a Recommended Lens Supplier for ULIS Micro80 Gen2TM Thermal Sensor Array


For Immediate Release:

LightPath Technologies Selected as a Recommended Lens Supplier for ULIS Micro80 Gen2TM Thermal Sensor Array


ORLANDO, FL – October 20, 2016 - LightPath Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: LPTH) (“LightPath,” the “Company” or “we”), a leading vertically integrated global manufacturer,distributor and integrator of proprietary optical and infrared components and high-levelassemblies, today announced its selection by ULIS as a recommended supplier of thermal imaging lens assemblies for use with the new ULIS Micro80 Gen2TM thermal sensor.  Based in France, ULIS produces one of the largest ranges of thermal image sensors in the world and participates in a global market for advanced sensors for smart buildings that, according to Navigant Research, will reach nearly $3.7 billion by 2020.

LightPath offers a customized selection of wide field-of-view lenses compatible with the ULIS Micro80 Gen2TM sensor.  These sensors utilize LightPath’s high-quality chalcogenide glass and operate in the 8μm to 14μm long-wave infrared (LWIR) waveband.  LightPath’s engineering team has collaborated with ULIS engineers to achieve the optimal balance of performance and cost for wide field-of-view lenses.  Using chalcogenide glass, the lenses are light weight, passively athermal over a broad temperature range of -40°C to +85°C, and economically practical.  LightPath’s advanced precision glass molding expertise and proprietary tooling techniques enable a highly repeatable process that is scalable to high volume production.

“LightPath is pleased to have been selected to cooperate with ULIS, which has a reputation for high quality products,” commented Steve Beninato, LightPath’s Executive Director of Global Sales and Marketing.  “As we strive to meet the needs of all of our customers, LightPath’s advanced engineering and high volume production capabilities are increasingly being recognized around the world.”

ULIS, a manufacturer of innovative thermal sensors for the surveillance, thermography, firefighting, outdoor leisure and automotive markets, announced the availability of Micro80 Gen2, an advanced functionality thermal sensor. The fully digital Micro80 Gen2 not only supports standardized interfaces (i.e. I2C and HSync/VSync clocking), it also contains a series of improved characteristics, which make it ideal for large-volume applications and for easy integration into assembly processes. ULIS’ new Micro80 Gen2 multifunctional thermal sensor offers reliability thanks to the 80x80 pixel ratio. It can distinguish humans from animals or robots in all-weather and lighting conditions, 24/7 – without compromising privacy. This makes it ideal for occupancy detection in connected buildings, amongst other potential applications.

About LightPath Technologies
LightPath Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: LPTH) provides optics and photonics solutions for the industrial, defense, telecommunications, testing and measurement, and medical industries. LightPath designs, manufactures, and distributes optical and infrared components including molded glass aspheric lenses and assemblies, infrared lenses and thermal imaging assemblies, fused fiber collimators, and gradient index GRADIUM® lenses. LightPath also offers custom optical assemblies, including full engineering design support. For more information, visitwww.lightpath.com.

About ULIS
ULIS, a subsidiary of Sofradir, specializes in designing and manufacturing innovative
thermal image sensors for commercial and defense applications. It enables makers of consumer electronics and infrared equipment to produce low weight, low power
consumption and cost-effective thermal cameras in high volume. Founded in 2002, ULIS has grown to become the second largest producer of thermal image sensors (microbolometers). It offers a targeted range of microbolometers that are the key component of many top brands in thermal imaging equipment sold across Europe, Asia and North America. ULIS is active in the surveillance, thermography, firefighting, defense and outdoor leisure markets. Hundreds of thousands of its products are used to detect threats and thereby protect property, industrial sites, national borders and commuter systems as well as military personnel in combat zones. Other professionals choose thermal image devices equipped with ULIS’ products due to the affordability and quality of ULIS’ technology for mainstream commercial applications and the company’s expertise. Size, weight, low power consumption and cost reductions drive ULIS innovations, enabling the company to address new trends in smart buildings, road safety and in-cabin comfort of vehicles. ULIS is located in Veurey-Voroize, near Grenoble.https://www.ulis-ir.com

This news release includes statements that constitute forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding our ability to expand our presence in certain markets, future sales growth, continuing reductions in cash usage and implementation of new distribution channels. This information may involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, factors detailed by LightPath Technologies, Inc. in its public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required under the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, we do not have any intention or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.



                                                                                    ####
Company Contact:

Steve Beninato, Executive
Director of Global Sales and Marketing
LightPath Technologies, Inc.

TOMORROW! Seminar: “Single-molecule studies of signaling events in crude cell extracts” by Vasudha Aggarwal, 10.21.16/3:00PM-4:00PM/CREOL RM 103

Seminar: “Single-molecule studies of signaling events in crude cell extracts” by Vasudha Aggarwal
Friday, October 21, 2016 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
CREOL Room 103

Vasudha Aggarwal
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

Abstract:
Macromolecular complexes consisting of proteins and lipids are ubiquitous during signaling. For example, phospholipid targeting by proteins is critical for the initiation of signaling cascade and protein-protein interactions are needed for signal transduction. As a result, signaling proteins are involved in heterogeneous composition, stoichiometry, order of assembly, and conformations that can change dynamically, making single-molecule studies best suited to measure these properties accurately. I will talk about single-molecule pull-down technique (SiMPull) developed in the lab of Prof. Taekjip Ha, which utilizes principles of conventional co-immunoprecipitation assay with single-molecule fluorescence microscopy to probe native proteins in crude cell extracts. I will show how this technique can be used to obtain mechanistic information for native lipid-protein and protein-protein complexes.

Biography:
Vasudha Aggarwal is pursuing her PhD in Biophysics & Biophysical Chemistry in the laboratory of Prof. Taekjip Ha at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She is interested in single-molecule fluorescence studies of native macromolecular complexes with applications in various biological processes. She has studied protein complexes involved in DNA replication, heterochromatin formation, signaling, cell division, and membrane receptors. She obtained her MSc in Biology from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai, India, where she studied protein unfolding-folding properties using Atomic Force Microscope based force spectroscopy.

For more information:
Kyu Young Han

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Seminar: “Single-molecule studies of signaling events in crude cell extracts” by Vasudha Aggarwal, 10.21.16/3:00PM-4:00PM/CREOL RM 103

Seminar: “Single-molecule studies of signaling events in crude cell extracts” by Vasudha Aggarwal
Friday, October 21, 2016 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
CREOL Room 103

Vasudha Aggarwal
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

Abstract:
Macromolecular complexes consisting of proteins and lipids are ubiquitous during signaling. For example, phospholipid targeting by proteins is critical for the initiation of signaling cascade and protein-protein interactions are needed for signal transduction. As a result, signaling proteins are involved in heterogeneous composition, stoichiometry, order of assembly, and conformations that can change dynamically, making single-molecule studies best suited to measure these properties accurately. I will talk about single-molecule pull-down technique (SiMPull) developed in the lab of Prof. Taekjip Ha, which utilizes principles of conventional co-immunoprecipitation assay with single-molecule fluorescence microscopy to probe native proteins in crude cell extracts. I will show how this technique can be used to obtain mechanistic information for native lipid-protein and protein-protein complexes.

Biography:
Vasudha Aggarwal is pursing her PhD in Biophysics & Biophysical Chemistry in the laboratory of Prof. Taekjip Ha at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She is interested in single-molecule fluorescence studies of native macromolecular complexes with applications in various biological processes. She has studied protein complexes involved in DNA replication, heterochromatin formation, signaling, cell division, and membrane receptors. She obtained her MSc in Biology from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai, India, where she studied protein unfolding-folding properties using Atomic Force Microscope based force spectroscopy.

For more information:
Kyu Young Han

Seminar: Dr. Teri Odom, Northwestern University Chicago, Illinois at 11am on Thursday, October 27, 2016 at CREOL-103

NANOSCIENCE TECHNOLOGY CENTER
CREOL, THE COLLEGE OF OPTICS & PHOTONICS
SEMINAR

Title:       Squeezing Light into Small Spaces

Teri W. Odom Ph.D.
Department of Chemistry
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
International Institute of Nanotechnology (IIN)
Northwestern University
Chicago, Illinois

Date:      Thursday, October 27, 2016
Time:      11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Venue:   CREOL
Room 103
Light refreshments will be served

Abstract:
Metal nanostructures concentrate optical fields into highly confined, nanoscale volumes that can be exploited in a wide range of applications. However, metal nanoparticles exhibit broad localized surface plasmon resonances that increase in width as the particle size increases. One way to narrow these broad responses is to organize the nanoparticles into arrays with spacings on the order of hundreds of nanometers. This talk will describe new ways to design arrays of strongly coupled nanoparticles that can exhibit extraordinary properties including programmable and reconfigurable modes and real-time plasmon nanoscale lasing. First, we will describe a new type of nanocavity based on arrays of metal nanoparticles that support lattice plasmon modes that can be amplified and that can result in room-temperature lasing with directional beam emission. Second, we will describe a new way to achieve ultra-narrow resonances via superlattice plasmons, collective excitations that are supported by hierarchical nanoparticle arrays. Finally, we will discuss how ultra-narrow resonances can be achieved and manipulated in emerging plasmon materials.

Biography:
Teri W. Odom is Charles E. and Emma H. Morrison Professor of Chemistry, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, and Associate Director of the International Institute of Nanotechnology (IIN) at Northwestern University. She is an expert in designing structured nanoscale materials that exhibit extraordinary size and shape-dependent optical properties. Odom has pioneered a suite of multi-scale nanofabrication tools that has resulted in flat optics that can manipulate light at the nanoscale and beat the diffraction limit, plasmon-based nanoscale lasers that exhibit tunable color, and hierarchical substrates that show controlled wetting and super-hydrophobicity. She has also invented a class of biological nanoconstructs that are facilitating unique insight into nanoparticle-cell interactions and that show superior imaging and therapeutic properties because of their gold nanostar shape. 

Odom has received numerous honors and awards, including being named a Fellow of the American Chemical Society (ACS); a Materials Research Society (MRS) Fellow;  Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry; the Carol Tyler Award from the International Precious Metals Institute; a Blavatnik Young Scientist Finalist; a Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study Fellowship at Harvard University; the ACS Akron Section Award; an NIH Director's Pioneer Award from the National Institutes of Health; the MRS Outstanding Young Investigator Award; the National Fresenius Award from Phi Lambda Upsilon and the ACS; the Rohm and Haas New Faculty Award; an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship; a DuPont Young Investigator Grant; a National Science Foundation CAREER Award; the ExxonMobil Solid State Chemistry Faculty Fellowship; and a David and Lucile Packard Fellowship in Science and Engineering. Odom was the founding Chair of the Noble Metal Nanoparticles Gordon Research Conference, whose inaugural meeting was in 2010. In addition, Odom was an Associate Editor for RSC’s flagship journal Chemical Science (2009-2013) and is on the Editorial Advisory Boards of ACS Nano, Chemical Physics Letters, Materials Horizons, Annual Reviews of Physical Chemistry, and Nano Letters. She serves as founding Executive Editor of the journal ACS Photonics (2013 - ).

Contact:
Debashis Chanda, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
NanoScience Technology Center
CREOL, College of Optics and Photonics

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Physics Colloquium - Friday, October 21st

This week’s Physics department colloquium is Friday, October 21st4:00-5:00pm in PSB 160/161.

Dr. Qiang Li from the Brookhaven National Laboratory will be speaking. The abstract is below.


Title: Chiral Magnetic Effect in Condensed Matters

Abstract: The chiral magnetic effect is the generation of electrical current induced by chirality imbalance in the presence of magnetic field. It is a macroscopic manifestation of the quantum chiral anomaly in systems possessing charged chiral fermions. In quark-gluon plasma containing nearly massless quarks, the chirality imbalance is sourced by the topological transitions. In condensed matter systems, the chiral quasiparticles emerge in the Dirac and Weyl semimetals having a linear dispersion relation. Recently, the chiral magnetic effect was discovered first in a 3D Dirac semimetal ZrTe5, in which we observed a large negative magnetoresistance when magnetic field is parallel with the current. The measured quadratic field dependence of the magnetoconductance is a clear indication of the chiral magnetic effect [Li et al arXiv:1412.6543, Nature Physics (2016) doi:10.1038/nphys3648)]. It is now observed in more than half a dozen Dirac and Weyl semimetals. 3D Dirac/Weyl semimetals have opened a fascinating possibility to study the quantum dynamics of relativistic field theory in condensed matter experiments, with potential for important practical applications.


Regards,

Cathryn Anderson
Office Assistant
Physics Department
University of Central Florida

Friday, October 14, 2016

Seminar: "You and PRL" By Samindranath Mitra, 10.25.16/12:00PM-1:00PM/CREOL RM 103

Seminar: "You and PRL" By Samindranath Mitra
Tuesday, October 25, 2016 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
CREOL Room 103

http://www.creol.ucf.edu/NewsEvents/Attachments/Events/1155/SamindranathMitra_medium%20(00000002).jpg
Samindranath Mitra
Editor, Physical Review Letters

Abstract:
As the focus of science journals changes from dissemination of research to validation of it, why should you continue to submit your best work to Physical Review Letters? What "added value" does and should the journal provide? How do its editors determine which of the approximately 10,000 papers that it receives each year to publish? I plan to address -- with plenty of interspersed Q & A and free-flowing discussion -- these and related issues.

Biography:
Samindranath (Sami) grew up in Kolkata and Delhi, and received his Ph.D. at Indiana University (Bloomington) in 1994 on theoretical aspects of the quantum Hall effect. After working on chemical physics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, he joined Physical Review Letters. In addition to overseeing much of condensed matter physics submissions for the journal, he handles papers on transport properties in semiconductors, 2D materials, and mesoscopic systems.

For additional information:
Dr. Aristide Dogariu

Seminar: "Van der Waals Heterojunctions for Nanophotonics and Energy-efficient Electronics" by Dr. Tania Roy, 10.20.16/12:00PM-1:00PM/CREOL RM 103

Seminar: "Van der Waals Heterojunctions for Nanophotonics and Energy-efficient Electronics" by Dr. Tania Roy
Thursday, October 20, 2016 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
CREOL Room 103

Tania Roy, Ph.D. Assistant Professor
Joint Appointment with NanoScience Technology Center, Materials Science & Engineering, and ICAMR

Abstract:
Two-dimensional materials show immense potential as successor to silicon for next generation electronics. The family of 2D materials allows a wide range of bandgaps to select from. The ability to stack these 2D materials without any lattice mismatch allows easy construction of vertical van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures. A naturally passivated surface without dangling bonds helps in integration with photonic structures such as waveguides and cavities. Despite being atomically thin, many 2D materials interact strongly with light. Amazingly enough, defects in these monolayers can be chemically passivated to enhance luminescence efficiency close to 100%. From gapless graphene to direct band-gap monolayer semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), these 2D materials allow for the realization of various nanophotonic devices and the exploration of fundamental optical sciences, covering a wide spectral range from the microwave to the ultraviolet.
In this talk, a vdW heterojunction-based all-two-dimensional transistor will be discussed. The all-2D transistor shows no surface roughness scattering, a property hitherto unforeseen in its three dimensional counterparts. A dual-gated MoS2/WSe2 vdW heterojunction diode can be tuned to operate in various diode operation regimes. The same device operates as a forward rectifying diode as well as a tunnel diode, merely by application of gate voltage. The first observation of gate controlled band to band tunneling in semiconducting 2D heterostructures was made here, enhancing the prospects of using vdW heterojunctions for low power electronic applications. The tunability of band alignment opens up prospects of using this system for a gate-tunable light emitting diode. A 2D/2D tunnel field effect transistor with WSe2 and SnSe2 will be discussed. VdW heterojunctions with graphene/h-BN/graphene show negative differential resistance, which can be used in analog applications, such as in oscillators and amplifiers. Also, a graphene/insulator/graphene heterostructure demonstrates resistive switching and can be used to make ultra-low power resistive memories. Thus, vdW heterojunctions display a new paradigm of materials innovation to sustain the aggressive improvement of electronics and optoelectronics for the continued betterment of human lives.

Biography:
Tania Roy is an Assistant Professor at the NanoScience Technology Center at UCF since July 2016. She received B.E. (Hons.) in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from B.I.T.S. Pilani, India in 2006. She obtained her Ph.D degree in Electrical Engineering from Vanderbilt University, TN in December 2011, where she worked on the reliability of GaN/AlGaN high electron mobility transistors for high power and high frequency electronics. Following that, she worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Georgia Institute of Technology on graphene-based devices for low power applications till 2013. She joined University of California, Berkeley as a postdoc in 2014 where she worked on two-dimensional materials for future generation electronics. She made the world’s first all-two-dimensional transistor, and reported the first gate controlled Esaki diode with van der Waals heterojunctions. Her research interests include using novel functional materials for energy-efficient electronics and optoelectronics.

For more information: 
Mercedeh Khajavikhan

Seminar: "Highly nonlinear crystals for efficient mid-IR frequency conversion" by Peter G. Schunemann, 10.24.16/11:00AM-12:00PM/CREOL 103

Seminar: "Highly nonlinear crystals for efficient mid-IR frequency conversion" by Peter G. Schunemann
Monday, October 24, 2016 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
CREOL Room 103

Peter G. SchunemannBAE Systems, Inc.

Abstract:
Advances in growth of the birefringent crystals ZnGeP2 and CdSiP2, as well as all-epitaxial processing of orientation-patterned semiconductors GaAs (OP-GaAs) and GaP (OP-GaP), are extending solid-state laser output deep into the mid-infrared. These materials exhibit the highest nonlinear coefficients and broadest infrared transparency ranges among all practical nonlinear optical crystals. In this review paper we describe the attractive properties of these materials, along with the unique capabilities and novel crystal growth and processing that continue to provide record-breaking conversion efficiencies and output powers in the mid-infrared.

Biography:
Peter G. Schunemann has been a leading researcher in nonlinear optical materials for the last 30 years, authoring or co-authoring over 300 publications and 6 patents in the field. He is best known for developing the NLO chalcopyrite semiconductor ZnGeP2 (ZGP) for 2-micron-pumped mid-IR optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) for defense applications, primarily infrared countermeasures (IRCM). He was the first to grow large, crack-free, ZGP single crystals with sufficient quality for devices. He patented horizontal gradient freeze (HGF) growth in high-temperature transparent furnaces, and applied novel defect compensation and processing to achieve > 10-fold improvements in absorption loss, laser damage threshold, and 3-5-µm output power (world record–classified). He scaled his R&D process for production of ZGP crystals fielded in hundreds of IRCM laser systems mounted on military aircraft, successfully protecting against simultaneous multi-missile attacks.He has since demonstrated transparent HGF growth of exotic ternary and multinary compounds (AgGa1-xInxSe2, AgGaGeS4, AgGaTe2, HgGa2S4, CdGa2S4, CdGa2Se4, CaGa2S4, SrGa2S4, CaGa2Se4, GaSe) and applied understanding of defect chemistry to dramatically reduce optical losses in two other NLO chalcopyrites: CdGeAs2 (the highest d-coefficient of any known inorganic compound) and AgGaSe2, resulting in record conversion efficiencies for frequency doubling CO2-lasers. Mr. Schunemann rcenetly patented a new NLO chalcopyrite, CdSiP2, with the highest NLO coefficient of any crystal transparent and phase-matchable at 1064 nm and 1550 nm. In addition to birefringent materials, he successfully transitioned all-epitaxial growth of orientation-patterned gallium arsenide (OP-GaAs) – the first practical quasi-phasematched (QPM) semiconductor - from Stanford/AFRL to industry. He established dedicated MBE systems with auxiliary chambers for QPM template growth, and constructed a $3M Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy (HVPE) growth facility. He scaled OP-GaAs to 3” wafers with thicknesses up to 3.5 mm, reduced absorption losses by 4X, demonstrated multi-watt mid-IR output, the first cw OP-GaAs OPO, and the first cw OPO in any material pumped at a wavelength > 1.55 µm. External collaborations have achieved efficient THz output and femtosecond mid-IR frequency combs using OP-GaAs. This technology has recently been extended to orientation-patterned gallium phosphide (OP-GaP), an OP-GaAs analog that can be pumped at 1 µm or 1.55 µm with transparency out to 12 µm for next-generation LWIR devices. Numerous fs frequency converters in the 412 µm range have been demonstrated based on OP-GaP.

For more information:
Dr. Kenneth Schepler

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

            ER Precision Optical has significantly increased optical polishing capacity
            





 
ER Precision Optical has invested in additional manufacturing equipment for the highest quality optical components.  We've recently added an OptiPro ePX200 CNC high speed polisher for prototyping and high volume production of spherical optics and hemispherical dome up to 200 mm in diameter. This new equipment will give us the capability to provide you with the following:
·      More Competitive Pricing on Mid to High Volume Optical Components
·      Faster Delivery Times on Prototypes