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Physics Colloquium

Natalia M. Litchinitser
University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

ABSTRACT: In this talk, I discuss fundamental optical phenomena at the interface of singular and nonlinear optics in artificial media, including theoretical and experimental studies of linear and nonlinear light-matter interactions of vector and singular optical beams in metamaterials. I will show that unique optical properties of metamaterials open unlimited prospects to “engineer” light itself. Thanks to their ability to manipulate both electric and magnetic field components, metamaterials open new degrees of freedom for tailoring complex polarization states and orbital angular momentum (OAM) of light. I will discuss several approaches to structured light manipulation on the nanoscale using metal-dielectric, all-dielectric and hyperbolic metamaterials. These new functionalities, including polarization and OAM conversion, beam magnification and de-magnification, and sub-wavelength imaging enabled by the unique properties of metamaterials are likely to enable a new generation of on-chip or all-fiber structured light applications.

Bio: Natalia Litchinitser is a Professor of Electrical Engineering at University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. Her group research focuses on fundamental properties and applications of structured light in metamaterials, biomedical imaging, optical communications and nonlinear optics. Natalia M. Litchinitser earned her Master’s degree in Physics from Moscow State University in Russia and a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology. She completed postdoctoral training at the Institute of Optics, University of Rochester in 2000. Prof. Litchinitser joined the faculty of the department of Electrical Engineering at the State University of New York at Buffalo as Assistant Professor in 2008. Natalia Litchinitser previously held a position of a Member of Technical Staff at Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies and of a Senior Member of Technical Staff at Tyco Submarine Systems. Natalia Litchinitser’s research interests include linear and nonlinear optics in metamaterials, photonic devices, and optical communications. She is a Fellow of the Optical Society of America, Fellow of the American Physical Society, and a Senior Member of the IEEE.

Partially sponsored/funded by the Visiting Women & Minority Lecturer/Scholar Series