Meta-optics for advanced imaging and spectroscopy
In recent years, metasurfaces have garnered significant attention from the scientific community as compact alternatives to bulky refractive optics. We are leveraging the immense design freedom offered by these photonic structures to develop devices with unconventional imaging and sensing capabilities.
Disordered photonic devices for enhanced optical functionalities
In optics and photonics, disorder is often viewed as undesirable and detrimental to device performance. However, the wide range of optical functionalities exhibited by disordered systems found in nature has made researchers investigate the benefits of introducing randomness into photonic devices. We aim to understand if the optical properties of random systems can be predicted, and the underlying randomness be optimized for achieving enhanced device performance.
Encrypted multi-channel communication
Recent advances in metamaterials and hyperspectral imagers suggest intriguing possibilities for secure communication in the optical domain. We proposed and experimentally demonstrated a multi-channel encryption scheme for secure transmission of image data across multiple wavelength channels. We subsequently proposed an advanced version of the scheme that utilizes paired photonic devices for secure encryption of grayscale images.
Infrared emission tailoring
Microstructured materials can be used to generate strong emission/absorption features at desired wavelengths in the infrared. This is useful for several applications such as photodetection and sensing. Additionally, one can design microstructures using exotic materials, such as those exhibiting temperature-dependent optical properties.These structures can potentially be useful for constructing novel thermal logic devices.
Spectral emissivity prediction
The ability to design multi-resonant emitters in the infrared is extremely useful for several applications such as sensing and thermal management. These fields can benefit immensely from efficient design and modeling tools. We proposed an efficient semi-analytical model for predicting and optimizing the spectral response of complex thermal emitters.
