Event

POSTPONED. LPS Seminar: Marcel Pruessner, "Coupling Optics and Mechanics via Microscale Forces"

Wednesday, December 5, 2018
3:00 p.m.
LPS downstairs conference room, 8050 Greenmead Drive, College Park
Karen Grutter
lps_seminar@lps.umd.edu
https://www.nrl.navy.mil/opticalsciences/organization/photonicstechnology/photonicmaterials

THIS SEMINAR HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO THE NATIONAL DAY OF MORNING FOR GEORGE H. W. BUSH.

Laboratory for Physical Sciences Seminar

Coupling Optics and Mechanics via Microscale Forces

Dr. Marcel W. Pruessner
US Naval Research Laboratory
Washington, D.C.

Refreshments available at 2:30 pm

Note: LPS is located at 8050 Greenmead Drive in College Park. There is parking at LPS and overflow parking at the adjacent LTS building but not at the 4H building. LPS is on the UMCP shuttle route; take #105 for the Courtyard Apts. Please use the phone on the left hand side of the front door to call the receptionist for entry.

Abstract
The characteristic wavelength of light is typically in the range of one micron.  At the same time micro-/nanomechanical structures (MEMS/NEMS) can be readily actuated and displaced over these distances using a variety of forces.  Due to the small mass of these MEMS/NEMS structures, however, forces such as gravity generally become insignificant.  On the other hand, microscale forces, such as those exerted by light, can become substantial.  In this presentation I will survey optomechanics research in the Photonic Materials and Devices section at the USNRL.  I will discuss a variety of optical MEMS/NEMS and cavity optomechanics structures and devices that enable coupling between optics and mechanics via microscale forces.  These include electrostatically-tunable cavities, photothermal phonon ‘lasers’, and MEMS/NEMS devices that are actuated using gradient optical and gradient electrical forces.  I will conclude with a brief discussion of some potential applications.

Biography
Marcel Pruessner received his PhD from the University of Maryland, College Park (advisor: Prof. Reza Ghodssi, ECE).  He is currently at the US Naval Research Laboratory (USNRL) in Washington, D.C. and leads programs on optomechanics and optical MEMS.  Beyond these research areas he is also involved in a variety of nanophotonics efforts for entangled photon-pair generation, chemical sensing, cold atom trapping, and microwave photonics.