Focused Sessions Hosted by Leaders in their Fields
Each year, CLEO holds Special Symposia, comprised of invited and contributed papers, on areas deemed to be topical and of special interest to conference attendees.
Special Symposia Program
Coupling Artificial Atoms to Nano- and Opto-mechanical Systems
Machine Learning Photons: Where Machine Learning and Photonics Intersect
High Average Power Ultrafast Lasers: Trends, Challenges and Applications
Intense-field Nonlinear Optics and High Harmonic Generation in Nanoscale Materials
Quantum Information in Time-frequency Domain
Space-borne Quantum Sensors
Special Symposium on Nonreciprocal Photonics
Coupling Artificial Atoms to Nano- and Opto-mechanical Systems
Symposium Organizers
Paul Barclay, University of Calgary, Canada
Hailin Wang, University of Oregon, USA
This symposium will focus on recent experimental and theoretical advances on coupling artificial atoms, such as defect centers and quantum dots, to nanomechanical or optomechanical resonators. These hybrid quantum systems bring together concepts and techniques from different disciplines — optics and atomic physics, nanophotonics, nanomechanics and quantum information science — and allow spin control of mechanical motion as well as mechanical control of the spin states. Quantum control of both spin and mechanical degrees of freedom in these systems can enable potential applications in quantum information processing such as phononic or phononic-photonic quantum networks, as well as quantum transducers for quantum networking.
Invited Speakers
David Awschalom, University of Chicago, USA
Yiwen Chu, Yale University, USA
Gregory Fuchs, Cornell University, USA
Mark Kasperczyk, University of Basel, Switzerland
Peter Rabl, Technische Universität Wien, Austria
Machine Learning Photons: Where Machine Learning and Photonics Intersect
Symposium Organizers
Zongfu Yu, University of Wisconsin Madison, USA
Darko Zibar, Danmarks Tekniske Universitet, Denmark
Shanhui Fan, Stanford University, USA
Bahram Jalali, University of California Los Angeles, USA
Marin Soljačić, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
Over the past 5 years, tremendous progress has been made in machine learning. Its impact has started to emerge across a broad range of fields. Photonics is one of them. This symposium will highlight recent progress at the intersection of photonics and machine learning. Various methods such as deep learning, Bayesian inference, Monte Carlo Markov Chain and Gaussian processes will be addresses on how they can provide new paths for solving the most critical problems in various fields in photonics. For example, deep learning points to new inverse design approach for complex photonic structures while Bayesian inference offers detection methods that can operate at the quantum limit. Combination of deep learning with time stretched measurements has been highly successful in biological cell analysis at extreme throughput. Unlike optimization-driven approaches that require expensive computation, machine learning leverages on learning form the data. Photonics also provides exciting opportunities for all optical implementation of various machine learning techniques. There are also many other exciting developments in microscopy, quantum communication, sensing, bio-medical image recognition, optical communication and opto-mechanics that have benefited from machine learning.
Invited Speakers
Wenshan Cai, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA
Hou-Man Chin, Danmarks Tekniske Universitet, Denmark
Folkert Horst, International Business Machines Corp., Switzerland
Tyler Hughes, Stanford University, USA
Ata Mahjoubfar, University of California Los Angeles, USA
Aydogan Ozcan, University of California Los Angeles, USA
Paul Prucnal, Princeton University, USA
Marin Soljačić, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
Ken Xingze Wang, Huazhong Univ of Science and Technology, China
Tom Zahavy, Technion, Israel
High Average Power Ultrafast Lasers: Trends, Challenges and Applications
Symposium Organizers
Thomas Metzger, Trumpf Scientific Lasers, Germany
Clara Saraceno, Ruhr Universität Bochum, Germany
Thomas Spinka, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, USA
Ultrafast laser systems combining high peak power and high repetition rate are desired in an extremely large variety of applications, both in scientific and industrial environments. Driven by these applications, the last several years have seen a tremendous increase in research related to high average power ultrafast laser systems and corresponding technologies, which has resulted in exponential progress in achievable performance. Several technologies, mostly based on Yb-doped slabs, fibers and disks, have surpassed the kilowatt average power milestone and continue to push the limits.
This symposium aims to, in a single forum, review the latest progress, trends, and current challenges in the area of high average power ultrafast lasers of all architectures (fiber, disk, and slab lasers), and discuss application needs that will shape the development of these lasers over the next several years
Invited Speakers
Cristina Hernandez-Gomez, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK
Norman Hodgson, Coherent Inc., USA
Clemens Hönninger, Amplitude, France
Jerome Kasparian, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Ursula Keller, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
Andreas Maier, University of Hamburg, Germany
Dirk Sutter, TRUMPF Laser GmbH, Germany
Takunori Taira, Institute for Molecular Science, Japan
Johannes Weitenberg, Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Germany
Intense-field Nonlinear Optics and High Harmonic Generation in Nanoscale Materials
Symposium Organizers
Marko Loncar, Harvard University, USA
Maxim Shcherbakov, Cornell University, USA
Gennady Shvets, Cornell University, USA
Nanomaterials are driving many research fields in photonics, from spectroscopy to microscopy, from sensing to telecommunications. Importantly, they can enhance light-matter interactions and funnel optical fields into hot spots, spawning applications in nonlinear optics. They have also shown enormous potential for non-perturbative nonlinear optics and high-harmonic generation, producing intense extreme-UV pulses on the nanoscale. Several platforms have been suggested, including 2D materials, plasmonic nanostructures, as well as all-dielectric and semiconductor metasurfaces. However, a delicate balance between field localization, losses and dispersion should be kept when designing an efficient material for ultrahigh-power laser applications. This symposium will review and discuss the recent progress in light-matter interactions on an ultra-intense scale, such as nonlinear frequency conversion and generation of high harmonics, assisted by novel nanostructures and metamaterials. We also solicit contributed papers that advance the field of high-intensity light-matter interactions on the nanoscale.
Invited Speakers
Pierre Berini, University of Ottawa, Canada
Igal Brener, Sandia National Laboratories, USA
Andrey Fedyanin, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia
David Reis, Stanford University, USA
Koichiro Tanaka, Kyoto University, Japan
Quantum Information in Time-frequency Domain
Symposium Organizers
Pavel Lougovski, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA
Michael G. Raymer, University of Oregon, USA
Brian J. Smith, University of Oregon, USA
Andrew M. Weiner, Purdue University, USA
There has been significant experimental progress in encoding and manipulating quantum information using light’s spectral-temporal degrees of freedom. From electro-optics to nonlinear optics — a range of technologies has been utilized to prepare, control and characterize qubits and demonstrate quantum logic. Spectral encoding is naturally compatible with optical fiber networks, amenable to massive parallelization, and valuable for scaling up quantum memories. Spectral beam splitters, based both on optical nonlinearities and electro-optic modulation, have been demonstrated recently. For spectral-temporal encoding, which can be used to store large amounts of information in a single photon, quantum pulse gates based on mixing single photons with shaped control fields have allowed state discrimination of orthogonal time-frequency pulsed modes (temporal modes). Considerable advances have also been made in generating entangled frequency combs from bulk sources and on-chip by using microring resonators, opening new avenues for quantum information processing with qudits. These novel techniques and methods can be combined and readily utilized for applications in quantum networking, computing, key distribution, and classical optical information processing. The aim of this symposium is to bring together researchers from across these research fields and to expose others to the exciting new opportunities offered by spectral-temporal encoding of light.
Invited Speakers
Benjamin Brecht, Universität Paderborn, Germany
Joseph Lukens, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA
Olivier Pfister, University of Virginia, USA
Valérian Thiel, University of Oxford, UK
Nicolas Treps, Sorbonne Université, France
Space-borne Quantum Sensors
Symposium Organizers
Matthew Hummon, National Institute of Standards and Technology, USA
Jeff Sherman, National Institute of Standards and Technology, USA
Governments, industry leaders and academic researchers are pursuing and funding the development of quantum technology with renewed intensity. While research into quantum information and exotic quantum states captures headlines, systems which leverage quantum properties of light and matter to enable and enhance measurements of physical quantities are just as likely to broadly alter our technological landscape. Quantum sensors enable measurement of acceleration, rotation, magnetic- and electric-field, temperature, chemical content, low-light intensity, length, time, and frequency — often with high stability and inherent calibration to primary standards. Space missions often impose unique and extreme requirements on sensor technology, and therefore often serve as catalysts for guiding new technologies out of the laboratory and into viable commercial application. Several such missions featuring quantum sensors are scheduled to launch in coming years. This symposium will focus on opportunities and technical challenges related to space-borne quantum sensors, and empirical lessons garnered from recently completed missions.
Invited Speakers
Sergio Mottini, Thales Alenia Space, Italy
Cheng-Zhi Peng, University of Science and Technology of China, China
Evan Salim, ColdQuanta Inc., USA
Robert James Thompson, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, USA
Special Symposium on Nonreciprocal Photonics
Symposium Organizers
Pascal Del Haye, National Physical Laboratory, UK
Lan Yang, Washington University, USA
Ewold Verhagen, AMOLF, Netherlands
Nonreciprocal photonics has been a rapidly growing research field in recent years. This is motivated by a strong demand for nonreciprocal elements in upcoming generations of integrated optical circuits. In particular, the increasing complexity of photonic circuits and their combination with chip-based laser sources requires new optical elements, e.g. for efficient optical isolators and circulators. On the fundamental physics side, research on optical nonreciprocity has led to many new insights on interaction of light with complex media, optomechanical systems and nonlinear materials. This special symposium aims to provide a forum for discussing the various different means of achieving optical nonreciprocity as well as related applications. This includes nonreciprocity and unidirectional transmission phenomena based on Kerr nonlinearity, optomechanical systems, metamaterials, integrated magneto-optical devices, PT symmetric systems, Brillouin scattering, topological protection, spin-orbit coupling and through other nonlinear optical effects. Beyond the fundamental physics of optical nonreciprocity, this symposium also addresses applications of nonreciprocity e.g. for sensors, integrated photonic circuits and in laser systems.
Invited Speakers
Andrea Alu, CUNY Advanced Science Research Center, USA
Benjamin Eggleton, University of Sydney, Australia
Tsampikos Kottos, Wesleyan University, USA
Caroline Ross, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
Edo Waks, University of Maryland at College Park, USA