Presented by Andy Greenspon, Christine Zgrabik, and Rob Devlin

We have attempted to understand and control how light interacts with different materials since the days of ancient Greece, but it was only in the past century that scientists and engineers have been able to study this interaction at the nanoscopic scale (10-9 meters). We take our inspiration in this endeavor from nature, so Andy will begin by describing how the interaction of light with nanoscopic natural structures gives rise to phenomena as diverse as the colors of a rainbow, the sheen of a soap bubble, and the iridescent shimmer of a butterfly’s wing. Next, Christine will discuss the techniques that scientists use to study these nanostructures and explore how we are building on nature’s engineering by fabricating nanostructures of our own design. Finally, Rob will end the lecture by telling us about some of the technologies that our precise control of light is enabling, from the practical—bringing light from telecom optical fibers into the computer chips themselves—to the fantastical—invisibility cloaks and materials that force light to bend the “wrong” way. Come join us to learn about the tricks of the light that we are learning to play.

Lecture

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