Povinelli Group

Our research focuses on optical properties of nanostructured materials. Advances in nanofabrication techniques now allow us to pattern materials on a scale smaller than the wavelength of light. We are interested in harnessing this capability to create novel nanophotonic devices for application areas including communications and sensing. In our work, we use theory and computational simulations to investigate novel optical behavior and device functionality in such systems as photonic crystals, metamaterials, and microresonators. We also work on the fabrication and experimental characterization of photonic-crystal slab devices.

Current topics of interest:

Slow light in photonic crystals and microresonators
achieving on-chip optical delays with low signal dispersion and loss
Optical forces between nanophotonic waveguides and resonators
using radiation pressure effects for nano-positioning and control
Applications of nanophotonics in energy and biology