Colloquium – Haoning Tang

Haoning Tang, Harvard University

Twisting Light with Nanomachines

Optical metamaterials and quantum materials have optical properties that are widely tunable via several approaches, such as heating, electrostatic gating, and interfacial engineering such as twisting. Being able to tailor the interfacial properties in a similar real-time manner represents the next leap in our ability to modulate the underlying physics and build exotic photonics and optoelectronics devices, such as light sources, modulators, and sensors. We demonstrate the first on-chip platform designed for optical nanostructures and quantum materials with in situ tunable interfacial properties, utilizing a microelectromechanical system. Each of these compact, cost-effective, and versatile devices is a standalone micromachine that allows voltage-controlled approaching, twisting, and pressurizing of two sheets of materials with high accuracy.

Thursday, Feb 13, 2025 @ 4:10 PM (CDT) in Stevenson Center 4327
Light refreshments available in the lobby at 3:50 PM

Host: K Varga