Vladimir M. Shalaev | |
---|---|
Citizenship | United States |
Alma mater | Krasnoyarsk State University, Russia |
Awards | Max Born Award, Optica (2010) [1] Willis E. Lamb Award for Laser Science and Quantum Optics [2] Contents
IEEE Photonics Society William Streifer Scientific Achievement Award [3] Rolf Landauer Medal, ETOPIM International Association [4] UNESCO Medal for the development of nanosciences and nanotechnologies [5] Goodman Book Writing Award, OSA and SPIE [6] Frank Isakson Prize for Optical Effects in Solids [7] Fellow of Professional Societies: OSA, [8] IEEE, [9] SPIE, [10] APS, [11] MRS. [12] |
Scientific career | |
Fields |
|
Institutions | Purdue University |
Website | engineering |
Vladimir (Vlad) M. Shalaev is a Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering [13] and Scientific Director for Nanophotonics at Birck Nanotechnology Center, [14] Purdue University.
V. Shalaev earned a Master of Science Degree in physics (summa com laude) in 1979 from Krasnoyarsk State University (Russia) and a PhD Degree in physics and mathematics in 1983 from the same university. Over the course of his career, Shalaev received a number of awards for his research in the fields of nanophotonics and metamaterials, and he is a Fellow of several of Professional Societies (see the Awards, honors, memberships section below). Prof. Shalaev has co-/written three- and co-/edited four books, and authored over 800 research publications, in total. [15] As of May 2024, his h-index is 125 with the total number of citations nearing 70,000, according to Google Scholar. [16] In 2017-2023 Prof. Shalaev has been on the list of Highly Cited Researchers from the Web of Science Group; [17] he is ranked #9 in the optics category of the Stanford list of top 2% World's highest-cited scientists [18] (career-long; out of 64,044 entries); ranked #34 in the US and #58 worldwide in the field of Electronics and Electrical Engineering by Research.com. [19]
Vladimir M. Shalaev is recognized for his pioneering studies on linear and nonlinear optics of random nanophotonic composites that had helped to mold the research area of composite optical media. [2] He also contributed to the emergence of a new field of engineered, artificial materials - optical metamaterials. [1] [2] Currently, he studies new phenomena resulting from merging metamaterials and plasmonics with quantum nanophotonics. [20]
Optical metamaterials (MMs) are rationally designed composite nanostructured materials that exhibit unique electromagnetic properties drastically different from the properties of their constituent material components. Metamaterials offer remarkable tailorability of their electromagnetic response via shape, size, composition and morphology of their nanoscale building blocks sometimes called 'meta-atoms'. [21] Shalaev proposed and demonstrated the first optical MM that exhibits negative index of refraction and the nanostructures that show artificial magnetism across the entire visible spectrum. [22] [23] [24] [25] (Here and thereafter, only selected, representative papers by Shalaev are cited; for complete list of Shalaev's publications visit his website. [26] ) He made important contributions to active, nonlinear and tunable metamaterials, which enable new ways of controlling light and accessing new regimes of enhanced light-matter interactions. [27] [28] [29] [30] Shalaev also experimentally realized negative-refractive-index MMs where optical gain medium is used to compensate for light absorption (optical loss). [29] He made significant contributions to the so-called Transformation Optics, [31] specifically on optical concentrators and "invisibility cloaks". [32] [33] [34] [35] In collaboration with Noginov, Shalaev demonstrated the smallest, 40-nm, nanolaser operating in the visible spectral range. [36] [37] Shalaev also made seminal contributions to two dimensional, flat metamaterials – metasurfaces [38] – that introduce abrupt changes to the phase of light at a single interface via coupling to nanoscale optical antennas. [39] [40] [41] [42] [43] He realized extremely compact flat lens, [41] ultra-thin hologram [42] and record-small circular dichroism spectrometer [43] compatible with planar optical circuitry. MM designs developed by Shalaev are now broadly employed for research in sub-wavelength optical imaging, nanoscale lasers, and novel sensors. [38] [44]
Shalaev’s work had a strong impact on the whole field of metamaterials. [1] [2] [3] Three of Shalaev’s papers - Refs. [22] , [23] , and [32] - remain among the top 50 most-cited out of over 750,000 papers included in the ISI Web of Science OPTICS category since 2005 (as of January 2021). [45]
Shalaev made pioneering contributions to the area of random optical media, including fractal and percolation composites. [2] [46] [47] [48] [49] [50] [51] [52] [53] [54] [55] [56] He predicted the highly localized optical modes -'hot spots' - for fractals and percolating films which were later experimentally demonstrated by Shalaev in collaboration with the Moskovits and Boccara groups. [52] [53] Furthermore, he showed that the hot spots in fractal and percolation random composites are related to localization of surface plasmons. [46] − [56] These localized surface plasmon modes in random systems are sometimes referred to as Shalaev's "hot spots": see e.g. [57] This research on random composites stemmed from the early studies on fractals performed by Shalaev in collaboration with M. I. Stockman; [58] [59] [60] [61] [62] [63] a theory of random metal-dielectric films was worked out in collaboration with A. K. Sarychev. [47] [49] [50] [54] Shalaev also developed fundamental theories of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and strongly-enhanced optical nonlinearities in fractals and percolation systems and led experimental studies aimed to verify the developed theories. [46] − [56] [60] [64] [65] Shalaev also predicted that nonlinear phenomena in random systems can be enhanced not only because of the high local fields in hot spots but also due to the rapid, nanoscale spatial variation of these fields in the vicinity of hot spots, which serves as a source of additional momentum and thus enables indirect electronic transitions. [65]
Shalaev’s contributions to the optics and plasmonics of random media [46] − [56] helped to transform those concepts into the area of optical metamaterials. [22] − [25] [27] − [36] Owing to the theory and experimental approaches developed in the area of random composites, optical metamaterials have quickly become a mature research field surprisingly rich in new physics. [24] [4] Shalaev’s impact on the development of both fields is in identifying the strong synergy and close connection between these two frontier fields of optics that unlock an entirely new set of physical properties. [4]
Random composites and metamaterials provide a unique opportunity to tailor their optical properties via shape, size and composition of their nanoscale building blocks, which often require metals to confine light down to the nanometer scale via the excitation of surface plasmons. [46] [30] To enable practical applications of plasmonics, Shalaev in collaboration with A. Boltasseva [66] developed novel plasmonic materials, namely transition metal nitrides and transparent conducting oxides (TCOs), paving the way to durable, low-loss, and CMOS-compatible plasmonic and nanophotonic devices. [67] [68] [69] [70] [71] [72] [73] The proposed plasmonic ceramics operating at high temperatures, can offer solutions to highly efficient energy conversion, photocatalysis and data storage technologies [69] −. [73] In collaboration with the Faccio group, [74] Shalaev demonstrated ultrafast, strongly-enhanced nonlinear responses in TCOs that possess an extremely low (close to zero) linear refractive index – the so-called epsilon-near-zero regime. [75] [76] [77] [78] [79] Independently, the Boyd group obtained equally remarkable results in a TCO material, [80] demonstrating that low-index TCOs hold a promise for novel nonlinear optics.
Shalaev’s PhD work (supervised by Prof. A.K. Popov) and early research involved theoretical analysis of resonant interaction of laser radiation with gaseous media, in particular i) Doppler-free multi-photon processes in strong optical fields and their applications in nonlinear optics [81] spectroscopy [82] and laser physics [83] as well as ii) the (newly-discovered then) phenomenon of light-induced drift of gases. [84] [85]
Prof. Shalaev co-/authored three- [24] [48] [50] and co-/edited four [86] [87] [88] [89] books in the area of his scientific expertise. According to Shalaev's website, [90] over the course of his career he contributed 30 invited chapters to various scientific anthologies and published a number of invited review articles, over 800 publications in total. He made over 500 invited presentations at International Conferences and leading research centers, including a number of plenary and keynote talks. [91] [92]
In physics, a plasmon is a quantum of plasma oscillation. Just as light consists of photons, the plasma oscillation consists of plasmons. The plasmon can be considered as a quasiparticle since it arises from the quantization of plasma oscillations, just like phonons are quantizations of mechanical vibrations. Thus, plasmons are collective oscillations of the free electron gas density. For example, at optical frequencies, plasmons can couple with a photon to create another quasiparticle called a plasmon polariton.
A metamaterial is a type of material engineered to have a property, typically rarely observed in naturally occurring materials, that is derived not from the properties of the base materials but from their newly designed structures. Metamaterials are usually fashioned from multiple materials, such as metals and plastics, and are usually arranged in repeating patterns, at scales that are smaller than the wavelengths of the phenomena they influence. Their precise shape, geometry, size, orientation, and arrangement give them their "smart" properties of manipulating electromagnetic, acoustic, or even seismic waves: by blocking, absorbing, enhancing, or bending waves, to achieve benefits that go beyond what is possible with conventional materials.
Federico Capasso is an Italian-American applied physicist and is one of the inventors of the quantum cascade laser during his work at Bell Laboratories. He is currently on the faculty of Harvard University.
Nanophotonics or nano-optics is the study of the behavior of light on the nanometer scale, and of the interaction of nanometer-scale objects with light. It is a branch of optics, optical engineering, electrical engineering, and nanotechnology. It often involves dielectric structures such as nanoantennas, or metallic components, which can transport and focus light via surface plasmon polaritons.
Negative-index metamaterial or negative-index material (NIM) is a metamaterial whose refractive index for an electromagnetic wave has a negative value over some frequency range.
A nanolaser is a laser that has nanoscale dimensions and it refers to a micro-/nano- device which can emit light with light or electric excitation of nanowires or other nanomaterials that serve as resonators. A standard feature of nanolasers includes their light confinement on a scale approaching or suppressing the diffraction limit of light. These tiny lasers can be modulated quickly and, combined with their small footprint, this makes them ideal candidates for on-chip optical computing.
A photonic metamaterial (PM), also known as an optical metamaterial, is a type of electromagnetic metamaterial, that interacts with light, covering terahertz (THz), infrared (IR) or visible wavelengths. The materials employ a periodic, cellular structure.
A nonlinear metamaterial is an artificially constructed material that can exhibit properties not yet found in nature. Its response to electromagnetic radiation can be characterized by its permittivity and material permeability. The product of the permittivity and permeability results in the refractive index. Unlike natural materials, nonlinear metamaterials can produce a negative refractive index. These can also produce a more pronounced nonlinear response than naturally occurring materials.
The history of metamaterials begins with artificial dielectrics in microwave engineering as it developed just after World War II. Yet, there are seminal explorations of artificial materials for manipulating electromagnetic waves at the end of the 19th century. Hence, the history of metamaterials is essentially a history of developing certain types of manufactured materials, which interact at radio frequency, microwave, and later optical frequencies.
A coherent perfect absorber (CPA), or anti-laser, is a device which absorbs coherent waves, such as coherent light waves, and converts them into some form of internal energy, e.g. heat or electrical energy. It is the time-reversed counterpart of a laser. Coherent perfect absorption allows control of waves with waves without a nonlinear medium. The concept was first published in the July 26, 2010, issue of Physical Review Letters, by a team at Yale University led by theorist A. Douglas Stone and experimental physicist Hui W. Cao. In the September 9, 2010, issue of Physical Review A, Stefano Longhi of Polytechnic University of Milan showed how to combine a laser and an anti-laser in a single device. In February 2011 the team at Yale built the first working anti-laser. It is a two-channel CPA device which absorbs two beams from the same laser, but only when the beams have the correct phases and amplitudes. The initial device absorbed 99.4 percent of all incoming light, but the team behind the invention believe it will be possible to achieve 99.999 percent. Originally implemented as a Fabry-Pérot cavity that is many wavelengths thick, the optical CPA operates at specific optical frequencies. In January 2012, thin-film CPA has been proposed by utilizing the achromatic dispersion of metal-like materials, exhibiting the unparalleled bandwidth and thin profile advantages. Shortly after, CPA was observed in various thin film materials, including photonic metamaterial, multi-layer graphene, single and multiple layers of chromium, as well as microwave metamaterial.
Surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) are electromagnetic waves that travel along a metal–dielectric or metal–air interface, practically in the infrared or visible-frequency. The term "surface plasmon polariton" explains that the wave involves both charge motion in the metal and electromagnetic waves in the air or dielectric ("polariton").
A plasmonic metamaterial is a metamaterial that uses surface plasmons to achieve optical properties not seen in nature. Plasmons are produced from the interaction of light with metal-dielectric materials. Under specific conditions, the incident light couples with the surface plasmons to create self-sustaining, propagating electromagnetic waves known as surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs). Once launched, the SPPs ripple along the metal-dielectric interface. Compared with the incident light, the SPPs can be much shorter in wavelength.
Ortwin Hess is a German-born theoretical physicist at Trinity College Dublin (Ireland) and Imperial College London (UK), working in condensed matter optics. Bridging condensed matter theory and quantum optics he specialises in quantum nanophotonics, plasmonics, metamaterials and semiconductor laser dynamics. Since the late 1980s he has been an author and coauthor of over 300 peer-reviewed articles, the most popular of which, called "'Trapped rainbow' storage of light in metamaterials", was cited more than 400 times. He pioneered active nanoplasmonics and metamaterials with quantum gain and in 2014 he introduced the "stopped-light lasing" principle as a novel route to cavity-free (nano-) lasing and localisation of amplified surface plasmon polaritons, giving him an h-index of 33.
Plasmonics or nanoplasmonics refers to the generation, detection, and manipulation of signals at optical frequencies along metal-dielectric interfaces in the nanometer scale. Inspired by photonics, plasmonics follows the trend of miniaturizing optical devices, and finds applications in sensing, microscopy, optical communications, and bio-photonics.
An electromagnetic metasurface refers to a kind of artificial sheet material with sub-wavelength features. Metasurfaces can be either structured or unstructured with subwavelength-scaled patterns.
Anatoly V. Zayats is a British experimental physicist of Ukrainian origin known for his work in nanophotonics, plasmonics, metamaterials and applied nanotechnology. He is currently a Chair in Experimental Physics and the head of the Photonics & Nanotechnology Group at King's College London. He is a co-director of the London Centre for Nanotechnology and the London Institute for Advanced Light Technologies
The International Conference on Surface Plasmon Photonics (SPP) is a biennial conference series in the field of plasmonics, including electron-plasmon interactions; energy harvesting; graphene, mid-IR, and THz plasmonics; near-field instrumentation; novel plasmonic materials; particle manipulations; plasmonic, metasurface, and metamaterial devices; sensors and transducers for biomedical applications; ultrafast and nonlinear phenomena; and quantum plasmonics.
Alexandra Boltasseva is Ron And Dotty Garvin Tonjes Distinguished Professor of electrical and computer engineering at Purdue University, and editor-in-chief for The Optical Society's Optical Materials Express journal. Her research focuses on plasmonic metamaterials, manmade composites of metals that use surface plasmons to achieve optical properties not seen in nature.
Mark Stockman was a Soviet-born American physicist. He was a professor of physics and astronomy at Georgia State University. Best known for his contributions to plasmonics, Stockman has co-theorized plasmonic lasers, also known as spasers, in 2003.
Isabelle Philippa Staude is a German photonics researcher and Professor at the Friedrich Schiller Universitaet, Jena. Her research involves the creation of plasmonic nanostructures and metamaterials for the dynamic manipulation of light.