Title: How confining light to the atomic scale allows single atom-molecule motion to be seen in real time

Speaker: Prof. Jeremy BAUMBERG

Date/Time: 2022.11.18 18:00-19:00

Location: Zoom Meeting Room No. 63190874032 (Password 221118)

Inviter: Assoc. Prof. Qibin ZHAO

Biography

Prof. Jeremy J. Baumberg FRS, directs a UK Nano-Photonics Centre at the University of Cambridge and has extensive experience in developing optical materials structured on the nano-scale that can be assembled in large volume. He also directs the Cambridge Nano Doctoral Training Centre, a key UK site for training PhD students in interdisciplinary Nano research. Strong experience with Hitachi, IBM, his own spin-offs Mesophotonics and Base4, as well as strong industrial engagement give him a unique position to combine academic insight with industry application in a two-way flow.  With over 40000 citations, he is a leading innovator in Nano. This has led to awards of the IoP Faraday gold Medal (2017), Royal Society Rumford Medal (2014), IoP Young Medal (2013), Royal Society Mullard Prize (2005), and the IoP Charles Vernon Boys Medal (2000). He is a strategic advisor to the UK Research Councils and a Fellow of the Royal Society. His popular science book “The Secret Life of Science: How Science Really Works and Why it Matters” is published by PUP, see np.phy.cam.ac.uk

Abstract

Prof. Baumberg will show how to surpass recent advances in trapping light to the nanoscale, showing how optical modes can be below 1nm3 in volume. This enables single atoms and single bonds to be tracked in ambient conditions in real time, revealing unusual interactions between molecules and metal surfaces. This work is vital for understanding catalysis, molecular electronics, sensing and many applications. He will also discuss how to use the trapping of light at mid-IR wavelengths to create new types of photodetectors based on up-conversion by molecules, which can be efficient and uncooled, opening up new opportunities in vibrational sensing.