The field of metamaterials — artificial materials engineered at the nanoscale — has been rapidly evolving in the past two decades, demonstrating extreme wave phenomena and unprecedented control over wave propagation.
In this talk, Andrea Alù will discuss recent developments in this field of research, emphasizing the role of symmetries in establishing emerging optical and acoustic properties of metamaterials based on otherwise simple constituents. He will explore how geometrical rotations, suitably tailored perturbations and broken time reversal symmetry can be carefully engaged to tailor waves in robust and efficient ways, control their propagation, break Lorentz reciprocity and enable topological order, dualities and phase transitions. Finally, he will examine the underlying physical principles that span over many wave platforms, and their impact on practical technologies, from imaging, energy and sensing to computing and communications.
Speaker Bio:
Alù is a Distinguished Professor and the Einstein Professor of Physics at CUNY, where he also directs the Photonics Initiative at the CUNY Advanced Science Research Center. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Roma Tre, Italy, and, after completing postdoctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania, he became the Temple Foundation Endowed Professor at the University of Texas at Austin until 2018, when he joined the faculty at CUNY. Alù is a Simons Investigator in Physics and leads the Simons Collaboration on Extreme Wave Phenomena. He is fellow of seven professional societies, and has received several scientific awards, including the Blavatnik National Award in Physical Sciences and Engineering and the National Science Foundation’s Alan T. Waterman Award.
