Photonics for on-chip particle accelerators and augmented reality

Zhexin Zhao, postdoctoral researcher in the department of Physics at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany

1400 Wegmans Hall

Abstract: In this talk, I will present two exciting photonic research directions: (1) nanophotonic on-chip particle accelerators, and (2) photonic design for augmented reality hardware.

Recent studies in the interdisciplinary area of photonics and free electrons open up new applications, such as on-chip electron accelerators, free-electron light sources, and optical manipulation of electron pulses. In particular, dielectric laser accelerators (DLAs) utilize the strong field in laser to accelerate the electrons and can be integrated on chip. DLAs have a wide range of applications in scientific research, industry, and medical diagnosis and treatment. With progress in the optical control of free electrons, researchers have demonstrated the wave-function engineering of free electrons, which promotes the application of free electrons for quantum sensing. In this direction, I will talk about studies on the design of dielectric laser accelerators, electron compression with optical beat note, and quantum free-electron–atom interaction.

Augmented reality (AR) is a promising technology to provide personalized assistance, training, communication, and entertainment. The AR experience depends critically on the equality of the optical display system. In this part, I will talk about challenges in AR optical display systems and photonic design for key components. 

Dr. Zhexin Zhao received the bachelor’s degree in electronic engineering from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, in 2015, and the Master’s, and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering (with Ph.D. minor in physics) from Stanford University, U.S., in 2018 and 2021, respectively. From 2021 to 2023, Dr. Zhao was a research scientist in Reality Labs Research at Meta, working on photonic design for the augmented reality near-eye display. Dr. Zhao is currently a postdoctoral researcher in the department of Physics at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany. She received the Stanford Graduate Fellowship (2016), the Robert H. Siemann Fellowship (2020), EECS Rising Stars (2023), and SPIE Women in Optics 2024. Her research focuses on photonics, including electromagnetic theory, light-matter interaction, laser-based electron acceleration and modulation, and photonic design for augmented reality.