The CLEO/QELS 2008 Plenary Sessions are on Monday, May 5, 2008, and Wednesday, May 7, 2008. |
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David Reitze |
Albert Polman |
Ian A. Walmsley |
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The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory: Probing the Dynamics of Space-Time with Attometer Precision Date: Monday, May 5, 2008 Abstract: The detection of gravitational waves promises to open up a new astrophysical window on the universe. I’ll discuss gravitational waves, what makes them so interesting and challenging to detect and how we will detect them using really big interferometers. Biography: David Reitze received a B.A. in physics from Northwestern University in 1983 and a Ph.D. in physics from The University of Texas at Austin in 1990 working in the area of femtosecond spectroscopy. After positions at Bellcore and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory working on the development of high intensity ultrafast lasers and pulse shaping techniques, he joined the University of Florida where he currently holds the rank of Professor of Physics. In 1996, he began working on the development of large-scale gravitational wave interferometers with the LIGO Project. He led the design effort for the Input Optics, one of the major subsystems of the LIGO interferometers. He is currently the Spokesperson of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, overseeing a group of 600 scientists worldwide engaged in the search for gravitational waves. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and a member of the Science and Engineering Council of the Optical Society of America. |
Plasmonics: Optics at the Nanoscale Date: Wednesday, May 7, 2008 Abstract: The generation, concentration and dispersion of surface plasmons in thin metal films, nanoresonators and metal particle arrays is to be presented. The unique dispersion and mode confinement characteristics of these structures enables control of light at the true nanoscale. More information on plasmonics programming at this year's conference is on the Plasmonics and Nanophotonics Hot Topics page. Biography: Albert Polman obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands, in 1989. He was a post-doctoral researcher at AT&T Bell Laboratories until 1991 and then became group leader at the FOM-Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics (AMOLF) in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. In 2003 he spent a sabbatical year at CALTECH. Since 2005 he also serves as director of AMOLF. Polman is associated with the University of Utrecht as a professor of nanophotonics. His research interests are energy transfer in photonic nanostructures, plasmonics, microcavities, rare earth ions, silicon nanostructures and photovoltaics. Polman specializes in studies at the interface between optical physics and materials science, and has regularly demonstrated transfer of knowledge to applied concepts. |
Meet the Fock States: The Photon Revisited Date: Wednesday, May 7, 2008 Abstract: Debates about the character of the photon go back to the first years of quantum mechanics. Recent developments in quantum optics have enabled the generation of exotic nonclassical states of light that can provide a new perspective. Biography: Ian Walmsley is the Hooke Professor of Experimental Physics at the University of Oxford, UK, where he is also Head of the Sub-Department of Atomic and Laser Physics. Prior to moving to the UK in 2001, Walmsley was on the faculty of the Institute of Optics at the University of Rochester. His research efforts have been directed toward quantum phenomena on ultrafast timescales, including the generation of nonclassical radiation and matter and its characterization, manipulation of matter using closed loop methods and the development of methods for the measurement of ultrafast optical waveforms. |
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