Cutting Edge Research in Nonlinear Optics and Photonics:

The Emergent Photonics laboratory at the University of Sussex fundamentally investigates the nonlinear optical properties of matter and the interaction with ultrashort optical pulses. We pursues two main research campaigns in this regard, in ultrafast Integrated Photonics and THz technologies.

Ultrafast Integrated Photonics

Ultrashort optical pulses (with durations of several picoseconds or shorter) have many fundamental research areas, from communication to the fundamental investigation of natural laws. They are also key actors in many photonic nonlinear technologies for all-optical manipulation. Ongoing investigations comprise of the development of novel kinds of optical sources for metrology, spectroscopy and optical clocks from quantum devices. These include the investigation of complex light behaviour in micro-resonating structures, and novel forms of ultrafast diagnostics and field manipulation.

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Terahertz Technologies

The Terahertz (THz) band is a specific portion of the electromagnetic spectrum lying between optics and microwaves. What makes this specific band very special is that THz waves have the striking capability of revealing the composition of a target. Several complex composites and bio-matters like proteins, amino-acids, DNA, even explosives exhibit specific vibrational dynamics when excited by Terahertz fields. Generating intense THz pulses, manipulating and detecting them represent significant challenges. Ongoing investigations focus on the fundamental physics of THz-optical-field-matter interactions in materials with reduced dimensionality (2D or few-layer surfaces) and novel forms of THz diagnostics.