Course Content: We ask speakers from all over the world to present pedagogical introductions to their field with an emphasis on basic concepts. After an introductory lecture, the participants of this course will have an additional hour with the speaker during which they will discuss a recent paper and the holy grails of the field. 

Exemplary topics are topological insulators, mesoscopic quantum gravity, string theory for condensed matter, measurement-based quantum computing, quantum-limited sensors, Majorana Fermions, fast-light with single photons, etc., etc. For an overview of our previous sessions, please click here.

Audience: The introductory lecture is open for everyone to attend, the discussion hour is for the registered class of PhD students and postdocs only. 

Preparation: PhD students who have registered for the hot topics course need to prepare for the session by reading the article mentioned below.

Date: Tuesday 6 November 2018

Speaker: Prof. sir John Pendry

Topic: Compacted dimensions & singular plasmonic surfaces

Abstract: Our intuitive understanding of light has its foundation in the ray approximation and is intimately connected with our vision: as far as our eyes are concerned light behaves like a stream of particles. Here we look inside the wavelength and study the properties of plasmonic structures with dimensions of just a few nanometres: a tenth or even a hundredth of the wavelength of visible light, where the ray picture fails utterly. In this talk we show how the new concept of transformation optics that manipulates electric and magnetic field lines rather than rays can provide an equally intuitive understanding of sub wavelength phenomena and at the same time be an exact description at the level of Maxwell’s equations. The concepts are applied to a number of plasmonic structures revealing unexpected phenomena such as hidden symmetries and compacted dimensions.

Host: Dr. Tim Taminiau

Location: Delft University of Technology, TNW (building 22), Lorentzweg 1, Delft.

Room: Lecture room F (F105)

Time: 10:00-11:30 hrs *Please note that the instructors of the Programming course have been informed, the Programming course will start after the hot topics session*

Required reading: Pendry et al. (2017): "Compacted dimensions and singular plasmonic surfaces", Science 358, p.915-917. 

Registration: Please register this session by filling in the form below. The data will be used for organizational purposes only, we won't keep the registration list in our archives longer than necessary.