Colloquia & Guest Speakers

Nanophotonics: fundamental aspects and energy applications

Dr. Shanhui Fan, Stanford University

Thursday, January 24, 2019
4 p.m.

B&L 109

Shanhui Fan

Abstract:

Nanophotonic structures offer powerful capabilities for controlling the fundamental properties of light. These capabilities can also lead to opportunities for new applications. In this talk, we discuss some of our recent efforts in advancing the fundamental sciences related to nanophotonic structures. In particular, we will discuss the generalization of topological concepts to the analysis of the scattering matrices of devices. We will also discuss some of the latest developments in radiative cooling, where we aim to combine nanophotonic devices with thermal system design to improve the efficiency of energy conversion systems. 

Bio:

Shanhui Fan is a Professor of Electrical Engineering, a Professor of Applied Physics (by courtesy), a Senior Fellow of the Precourt Institute for Energy, and the Director of the Edward L. Ginzton Laboratory, at the Stanford University. He received his Ph. D in 1997 in theoretical condensed matter physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His research interests are in fundamental studies of solid state and photonic structures and devices, especially photonic crystals, plasmonics, and meta-materials, and applications of these structures in energy and information technology applications. He has published over 450 refereed journal articles that were cited over 60,000 times according to Google Scholar, has given over 300 plenary/keynote/invited talks, and was granted 62 US patents. Prof. Fan received a National Science Foundation Career Award (2002), a David and Lucile Packard Fellowship in Science and Engineering (2003), the National Academy of Sciences W. O. Baker Award for Initiative in Research (2007), the Adolph Lomb Medal from the Optical Society of America (2007), and a Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship from the U. S. Department of Defense (2017). He is a Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researcher in Physics, a Fellow of the IEEE, the American Physical Society, the Optical Society of America, and the SPIE.

Location: B&L 109

Refreshments will be served.