PREIN Researchers Successful in Academy of Finland Funding
The Academy of Finland has granted funding to five PREIN researchers in May. Congratulations to all of them!
Academy Research Fellow
Radoslaw Kolkowski, Aalto University - Seeing the Unseeable: The ultimate limits of perfectly dark states of light
Light is a very important aspect of our everyday life: it allows us to receive information about the surrounding world through our eyes and from the streams of data flowing through optical fibers. However, light can also exist as perfectly "dark" states, which no longer propagate as waves, but are confined within structures even 100 times smaller than the thickness of a hair. Moreover, such states may be "topological", which means that they remain confined regardless of small structural changes, which makes them immune to defects. In this project, researchers will develop new ideas to make the "dark states of light" even more robustly confined, unlocking their true potential in advanced light-based research and applications.
Academy Postdoctoral Researchers
Mikko Partanen, Aalto University - Unified theory of optical force fields and its engineering applications
The project aims at extending the recently developed mass-polariton theory of light to inhomogeneous materials like photonic crystals and metamaterials. This will enable theoretical analysis and simulations of optical forces in micro- and nanoscale structures and the eventual design of new optomechanical devices. We will also develop the quantum field formulation of the mass-polariton theory of the spin and orbital angular momenta of light.
Hoon Hahn Yoon, Aalto University - Single-Junction Broadband Spectrometers
This project aims to develop the world’s smallest spectrometers with performance far beyond the current state-of-the-art miniaturized spectrometers. Futuristic spectrometer miniaturization and on-chip applications are of great benefit for applications to a wide range of innovative technologies (e.g., sub-micrometer-scale in-situ inspector, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, security sensor, military product, biomedical imager, human healthcare system, environmental monitoring tool, hyperspectral space satellites, etc.).
Hongshuang Guo, Tampere University - Dynamic, environment-adaptive light-triggered actuators
This project investigates new methods for developing bioinspired soft robotic materials. The goal of the DELTA project is to build a new materials platform that shows self-adaptation to different environments. DELTA will produce robotic protypes, such as amphibious robots, a reconfigurable micro-gripper, and a cooperating robot team.
Rafael Ferreira Pinto do Rego Barros, Tampere University: Quantum frequency conversion driven by classically non-separable light
This project investigates the frequency conversion of quantum states driven by classically non-separable vector beams, a novel process that can be termed Hybrid Quantum Frequency Conversion (HQFC). The process will pave a new way for controlling non-linear processes for quantum photonics applications, and it aims at revealing the thin line between classical non-separability and genuine quantum entanglement.
ERC Consolidator Grant
Anton Kuzyk, Aalto University: Electrically driven DNA-origami-based machines
Associate Professor Kuzyk has studied the way that light can be used for the remote control of synthetic DNA-based nanostructures. The funded project builds on a similar methodology, but will develop a novel control mechanism.
ERC Proof-of-Concept Grant
Zhipei Sun, Aalto University: Pre-commercialization of new generation atomic-layer-deposited lasers for future green high-performance data centers
In his research project, Professor Sun aims to develop atomic layer deposited light sources with a low energy footprint and higher speed, and also exploit their effectiveness for future data center applications.
