Quantum Institute: Visitor Schedule

The Quantum Lunch is regularly held on Thursdays in the Theoretical Division Conference Room, TA-3, Building 123, Room 121.

The organizing committee includes Malcolm Boshier (P-21), Diego Dalvit (T-4), Michael Di Rosa (C-PCS), Sebastian Deffner (T-4 & CNLS), Changhyun Ryu (P-21) , Nikolai Sinitsyn (T-4), Rolando Somma (T-4), Christopher Ticknor (T-1), and Wojciech Zurek (T-4).

For more information, or to nominate a speaker, contact Sebastian Deffner.

To add your name to the Quantum Lunch email list, contact Ellie Vigil.

Thursday June 11, 2015
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM

Speaker: Tsampikos Kottos (Wesleyan University)

Technical Host: Avadh Saxena

TOPIC: Designing novel materials with Parity-Time symmetries: Examples from integrated photonics and electronics

Abstract
We will present recent experimental and theoretical eff orts toward managing wave transport and introducing novel methods for signal manipulation. A key outcome of these studies is the development and realization of new concepts of integrated circuitry design based on space-time reflection, or parity-time (PT) symmetry, developed within the premises of quantum field theory. While the impact of PT symmetry in quantum mechanics is still open to debate, it was recently realized that classical wave propagation in structures where gain and loss mechanisms judiciously coexist can be effectively described by PT symmetric Hamiltonians. The idea has been already implemented in photonics and electronics circuitry providing novel avenues for the realization of unidirectionally transparent and invisible optical media; suppression of (optical) non-linear bistabilities due to PT -symmetries; PT -symmetric optical and electronics isolators. We will briefly review these results and present our vision for the future of PT -symmetric wave physics.