Plenary Event
OPTO Plenary
27 January 2025 • 8:00 AM - 10:15 AM PST | Moscone North/South, Moscone Center, Room 207/215 (Level 2 South)
Session Chairs: Karin Hinzer, Univ. of Ottawa (Canada) and Ulrich T. Schwarz, Technische Univ. Chemnitz (Germany)
8:00 AM - 10:15 AM
Welcome and Opening Remarks
8:15 AM - 8:55 AM
A plasma perspective on attosecond and THz science
Attoseconds: When intense light interacts with a gas of atoms (or a transparent solid), electron wave packets are released. Attosecond pulse formation exploits the correlated electrons and holes, forcing the electron to return. Without the plasma connection, two of the most important strong-field process that accompany attosecond pulse formation—hot electron formation (inverse Bremsstrahlung) and non-sequential double ionization (collisional ionization)—seemed mysterious. These plasma-like processes lead to laser induced electron diffraction and orbital tomography.
THz generation: Terahertz pulse formation by ionization has a similar linage. Using PIC codes to describe azimuthally polarized l=4 mm and 2 mm light interacting with a 150 µm thick jet of helium, we calculate THz pulses reaching 8.5 Tesla. But 10 Tesla is not a limit. 30 THz azimuthally polarized beams can be amplified in high-pressure CO2 reaching isolated magnetic fields of 1-gigagauss.
Paul Corkum graduated from Lehigh University, USA, in 1972 with a Ph. D. in theoretical physics. In 1973 he joined the staff of the National Research Council of Canada where he built one of the world’s most famous groups working on the interaction of very short light pulses with matter. Corkum is a Full Professor of Physics and Distinguished Research Chair of Attosecond Science at the University of Ottawa, and directs the Joint National Research Council of Canada / University of Ottawa Attosecond Science Laboratory (JASLab).
8:55 AM - 9:35 AM
Topology in space, time, and space-time
In recent years, topological phenomena in photonic systems have attracted much attention, with their striking features arising from robust states in the energy gaps of spatially periodic media. However, light waves are entities that extend in space as well as time, such that one may ask whether topological effects can also occur in the temporal domain, or even space-time. Intuitively, systems that are periodic in time may be gapped in momentum, leading to topological states localized at time interfaces. However, time - in contrast to space - exhibits a unique unidirectionality often referred to as the “arrow of time”. Inspired by these features, I will present our most recent experiments on topological states residing at temporal interfaces. Moreover, I will discuss the formation of spacetime-topological events and demonstrate unique features such as their limited collapse under disorder and causality-suppressed coupling.
Alexander Szameit (*1979 in Halle, Germany) studied Physics at the Universities of Halle and Jena, Germany. He obtained his Diploma and PhD in 2004 and 2007, respectively. After spending time in Australia and Israel, he returned to Jena as an Assistant Professor in 2011. After receiving his habilitation in 2015, he was appointed as Full Professor at the University of Rostock in 2016, where he holds the chair for Experimental Solid-State Optics. His work deals with all aspects of complex light evolution in large-scale integrated photonic waveguide circuits, with a particular focus on topological photonics.
9:35 AM - 10:15 AM
Photonic quantum technologies: from integrated quantum devices to designing scalable complex systems
Quantum technologies promise a change of paradigm for many fields of application, for example in communication systems, in high-performance computing and simulation of quantum systems, as well as in sensor technology. However, the experimental realization of suitable system still poses considerable challenges. Current efforts in photonic quantum science target the implementation of practical devices and scalable systems, where the realization of quantum devices and controlled quantum network structures is key for envisioned future technologies.
Here we present our progress on the engineering of integrated photonic systems, which can overcome current limitations for the realization of scalable photonic systems. Specifically, our research currently focuses on three different but complementary topics: integrated devices based on lithium niobate circuits, engineering and harnessing the temporal-spectral structure of quantum states of light, and photonic quantum computation.
Christine Silberhorn is full professor at Paderborn University and spokesperson of the Institute for Photonic Quantum Systems (PhoQS). She is best known for her work on the development of novel integrated-optical quantum devices and optical systems that lay the foundations for future quantum computers, in quantum communication and quantum metrology. She completed her PhD in 2002 at the University of Erlangen and worked as post-doctoral researcher at the University of Oxford for two years. In 2005, she became Max Planck Research Group Leader in Erlangen, until 2010. Her research has been awarded by several prizes, most prominently she received the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz-prize in 2011, and in 2017 she was awarded with a European Research Council Consolidator Grant. She is Fellow of Optica and of the Max Planck School of Photonics (MPSP).
MENU: Coffee, decaf, and tea will be available outside the presentation room.
SETUP: Theater style seating.
8:00 AM - 10:15 AM
Welcome and Opening Remarks
8:15 AM - 8:55 AM
A plasma perspective on attosecond and THz science
 |
Paul Corkum
Univ. of Ottawa (Canada) |
Attoseconds: When intense light interacts with a gas of atoms (or a transparent solid), electron wave packets are released. Attosecond pulse formation exploits the correlated electrons and holes, forcing the electron to return. Without the plasma connection, two of the most important strong-field process that accompany attosecond pulse formation—hot electron formation (inverse Bremsstrahlung) and non-sequential double ionization (collisional ionization)—seemed mysterious. These plasma-like processes lead to laser induced electron diffraction and orbital tomography.
THz generation: Terahertz pulse formation by ionization has a similar linage. Using PIC codes to describe azimuthally polarized l=4 mm and 2 mm light interacting with a 150 µm thick jet of helium, we calculate THz pulses reaching 8.5 Tesla. But 10 Tesla is not a limit. 30 THz azimuthally polarized beams can be amplified in high-pressure CO2 reaching isolated magnetic fields of 1-gigagauss.
Paul Corkum graduated from Lehigh University, USA, in 1972 with a Ph. D. in theoretical physics. In 1973 he joined the staff of the National Research Council of Canada where he built one of the world’s most famous groups working on the interaction of very short light pulses with matter. Corkum is a Full Professor of Physics and Distinguished Research Chair of Attosecond Science at the University of Ottawa, and directs the Joint National Research Council of Canada / University of Ottawa Attosecond Science Laboratory (JASLab).
8:55 AM - 9:35 AM
Topology in space, time, and space-time
 |
Alexander Szameit
Univ. Rostock (Germany) |
In recent years, topological phenomena in photonic systems have attracted much attention, with their striking features arising from robust states in the energy gaps of spatially periodic media. However, light waves are entities that extend in space as well as time, such that one may ask whether topological effects can also occur in the temporal domain, or even space-time. Intuitively, systems that are periodic in time may be gapped in momentum, leading to topological states localized at time interfaces. However, time - in contrast to space - exhibits a unique unidirectionality often referred to as the “arrow of time”. Inspired by these features, I will present our most recent experiments on topological states residing at temporal interfaces. Moreover, I will discuss the formation of spacetime-topological events and demonstrate unique features such as their limited collapse under disorder and causality-suppressed coupling.
Alexander Szameit (*1979 in Halle, Germany) studied Physics at the Universities of Halle and Jena, Germany. He obtained his Diploma and PhD in 2004 and 2007, respectively. After spending time in Australia and Israel, he returned to Jena as an Assistant Professor in 2011. After receiving his habilitation in 2015, he was appointed as Full Professor at the University of Rostock in 2016, where he holds the chair for Experimental Solid-State Optics. His work deals with all aspects of complex light evolution in large-scale integrated photonic waveguide circuits, with a particular focus on topological photonics.
9:35 AM - 10:15 AM
Photonic quantum technologies: from integrated quantum devices to designing scalable complex systems
 |
Christine Silberhorn
Univ. Paderborn (Germany) |
Quantum technologies promise a change of paradigm for many fields of application, for example in communication systems, in high-performance computing and simulation of quantum systems, as well as in sensor technology. However, the experimental realization of suitable system still poses considerable challenges. Current efforts in photonic quantum science target the implementation of practical devices and scalable systems, where the realization of quantum devices and controlled quantum network structures is key for envisioned future technologies.
Here we present our progress on the engineering of integrated photonic systems, which can overcome current limitations for the realization of scalable photonic systems. Specifically, our research currently focuses on three different but complementary topics: integrated devices based on lithium niobate circuits, engineering and harnessing the temporal-spectral structure of quantum states of light, and photonic quantum computation.
Christine Silberhorn is full professor at Paderborn University and spokesperson of the Institute for Photonic Quantum Systems (PhoQS). She is best known for her work on the development of novel integrated-optical quantum devices and optical systems that lay the foundations for future quantum computers, in quantum communication and quantum metrology. She completed her PhD in 2002 at the University of Erlangen and worked as post-doctoral researcher at the University of Oxford for two years. In 2005, she became Max Planck Research Group Leader in Erlangen, until 2010. Her research has been awarded by several prizes, most prominently she received the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz-prize in 2011, and in 2017 she was awarded with a European Research Council Consolidator Grant. She is Fellow of Optica and of the Max Planck School of Photonics (MPSP).
Event Details
FORMAT: General session with live audience Q&A to follow presentations.MENU: Coffee, decaf, and tea will be available outside the presentation room.
SETUP: Theater style seating.