Keynote Lectures

Glass-based Photonic Structures - Advances and Perspectives
Maurizio Ferrari, National Research Council of Italy (CNR) Institute for Photonics and Nanotechnologies (IFN), Italy, Italy

The Physics and Technology of Metadevices and Metasystems
Kevin MacDonald, Optoelectronics Research Centre, University of Southampton, United Kingdom, United Kingdom

The Optical Characterisation of the Cold, Atmospheric Pressure Plasmas used for Medical Applications
Bill Graham, Queens University of Belfast, United Kingdom, United Kingdom

Enhancing and Controlling Light with Plasmonic and Non-Plasmonic Nanoantennas - Potential Applications in Medicine, (Bio-) Sensing or Spectroscopy
Pablo Albella, University of Cantabria, Spain, Spain

Glass-based Photonic Structures - Advances and Perspectives

Maurizio Ferrari
National Research Council of Italy (CNR) Institute for Photonics and Nanotechnologies (IFN), Italy
http://www.tn.ifn.cnr.it/

Brief Bio
Maurizio Ferrari (Trento 25-06-1955) received the Doctor in Physics degree from Trento University, Italy,in a.y. 1979/1980. Until 1989, he worked as a Researcher with the Laboratoire LPCM, Lyon, France. He is currently Director of Research with the CNR-IFN. He is co-author of more than 500 publications in international journals and he is involved in numerous national and international projects concerning glass photonics. His bibliometric parameters are: h-index: 38 [09/08/2019 – WoS]; ResearcherID: H-3362-2011; Orcid ID: 0000-0003-3723-5957; Google Scholar: niSV8iIAAAAJ. MF was elected in 2013 SPIE Fellow for achievements in synthesis and characterization of rare-earth doped optical materials. MF was elected OSA Fellow in September 2017 for significant achievements in the spectroscopic characterization of glasses and glass-ceramics and their application to photonic structures and devices, as well as for actively serving the optical community. He has been member of several Scientific, Program and Steering Committees, and Chair of national and international conferences and workshops, member of evaluation committee at CNR and for other national and foreign research institutions, research director and jury member of several PhD theses. He is referee of several international scientific reviews in physics, photonics, and material science. MF is Editor of Optical Materials. He is AE of Optical Engineering for integrated optics, Editorial board member of Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids, Ceramics, Journal of Materials, Ceramic International. His main scientific area of research is devoted to Glass Photonics and covers: properties, structure and processing of glasses, crystals and film for optical applications and photonics; energy transfer, optical and spectroscopic properties; integrated optics; nanocomposites materials and confined structures including photonic crystals, waveguides, microcavities, and microresonators.

Abstract
Glass photonics is pervasive in a huge number of human activities and drive the research in the field of enabling technologies. Glass materials and photonic structures are the cornerstones of scientific and technological building in integrated optics. Photonic glasses, optical glass waveguides, planar light integrated circuits, waveguide gratings and arrays, functionalized waveguides, photonic crystal heterostructures, and hybrid microresonators are some examples of glass-based integrated optical devices that play a significant role in optical communication, sensing, biophotonics, processing, and computing. We present some recent results obtained by our consortium in rare earth doped photonic glasses and confined structures, in order to give some highlights regarding the state of art in glass photonics. To evidence the unique properties of transparent glass ceramics we will compare spectroscopic and structural properties between the parent glass and the glass ceramics. Starting from planar waveguides we will move to spherical microresonators, a very interesting class of photonic confined structures. Then we will present 1D-potonic crystals and opals allowing management of optical and spectroscopic properties. We will conclude the short review with some remarks about the more significant applications such as laser action and structural sensing and the appealing perspective for glass-based photonic structures.

The Physics and Technology of Metadevices and Metasystems

Kevin MacDonald
Optoelectronics Research Centre, University of Southampton, United Kingdom

Brief Bio
Professor MacDonald is a member of the Optoelectronics Research Centre’s Nanophotonics & Metamaterials Group, and Manager of the University’s Centre for Photonic Metamaterials. He received MPhys and PhD degrees from the University of Southampton’s School of Physics and Astronomy before joining as a Research Fellow in 2001, subsequently moving to the ORC in 2006. His research interests include active/adaptive, all-dielectric and opto-mechanical metamaterials; as well as ultrafast, electron-beam-driven and phase-change nanophotonics. He has published more than 60 journal articles and presented almost 200 conference papers on these subjects including more than 60 keynote or invited talks. Prof. MacDonald sits on the steering committee of the Institute of Physics’ Quantum Electronics & Photonics Group, is a member of the Editorial Board for the Nature Publishing Group journal Scientific Reports, and is co-chair of the Metamaterials conference at SPIE Photonics Europe.

Abstract
Photonic metamaterials research has migrated in recent years from the study of almost exclusively plasmonic metal nanostructures to embrace a variety of advanced material platforms, including dielectrics, semiconductors, superconductors, phase-change media, and topological insulators. Optically- and electronically-actuated reconfigurable photonic metasurfaces based on such materials offer a range of low-loss, nonlinear, tuneable and switchable optical functionalities in ultra-compact form-factor – for example, engaging nano(opto)mechanical or phase-change response mechanisms to serve signal modulation, spectral/polarization selection or dispersion manipulation applications. In this talk I will review recent developments in the field, ranging from the demonstration of compositionally-tuneable plasmonic properties in chalcogenides to the integration of active all-dielectric and plasmonic metamaterials with optical fibre waveguides.

The Optical Characterisation of the Cold, Atmospheric Pressure Plasmas used for Medical Applications

Bill Graham
Queens University of Belfast, United Kingdom

Brief Bio
From an early background in the study of atomic and molecular physics including high energy ion-atom collisions, I became interested in the characterisation and physics and chemistry of plasmas starting with negative ion sources and their application in magnetic fusion, then RF driven plasma processing devices and my current research is focused on the fundamental physics and chemistry of atmospheric pressure low temperature (around room temperature) plasmas and plasmas created in liquids. This involves the use and development of a wide range of diagnostic and computer simulation and modelling techniques and of diverse plasma sources. I have an increasing commitment to the application of these plasma sources in medicine, catalysis and surface modification.

Abstract
In the last decade plasma devices capable of producing cold gas (~ 60 0C), reactive, plasmas at atmospheric pressure have been developed. This has been followed by the rapid growth of interest in the applications of such plasmas in areas such as medicine, food and agriculture where they have demonstrated, for example, antimicrobial capabilities. This has placed a urgent requirement on understanding the physics and chemistry of these plasmas. Following an introduction to the plasmas and their applications, the diagnostics of these systems using fast imaging, spectroscopy and laser-based techniques e.g. induced fluorescence and Thomson scattering will be discussed.

Enhancing and Controlling Light with Plasmonic and Non-Plasmonic Nanoantennas - Potential Applications in Medicine, (Bio-) Sensing or Spectroscopy

Pablo Albella
University of Cantabria, Spain

Brief Bio
Pablo Albella is Associate Professor of Optics in the Department of Applied Physics at the University of Cantabria where he leads different research lines within the area of nano-optics, thermoplasmonics, chiral sensing and optical forces are the main ones. He is also visiting Researcher in the Department of Chemistry at Imperial College London. He obtained his PhD in late 2009, awarded with the prize of best thesis in physics that year. Following his PhD, he completed two postdoctoral stays: one at the Materials Physics Center (CFM) in San Sebastian where he also held a Guest Researcher Position at CIC Nanogune, and a four-year one at Imperial College London. In 2017, he obtained an Excellence Researcher position from the Government of the Canary Islands to join a research institute and create a research group in Nanophotonics. Subsequently, in June 2018, he gained a Ramón y Cajal tenure track position. Mention, that he is the founder and organizer of an International Nanophotonics workshop on Nanophotonics, Plasmonics and Metamaterials (NanoPlasMeta) that takes place in conjunction with this conference since 2019.

Abstract
Optical antennas transform light from freely propagating waves into highly localized excitations that interact strongly with matter. In particular, plasmonic nanostructures acting as nanonantennas have been employed to obtain strong light-matter interactions at deep subwavelength size scales. However, its ohmic losses lead to temperature increase in the nanoantenna and its surroundings. This effect is well known and some applications take advantage of it, such as photothermal imaging, some biosensing techniques or cancer therapy. In the case of other applications, it is detrimental as it strongly limits the power that can be delivered to a hot spot before the particle reshapes or melts, affecting its nanoscale lighting or the emission properties of targets near the nanoantennas. Another limitation of metals is the difficulty to generate optical magnetic response. Recently, the use of low-loss resonators made of high-permittivity dielectric materials (non-plasmonic), has shown to be efficient in enhancing the interaction of light with matter. In this talk we will first review and highlight the properties and strengths of plasmonic nanoantennas. Later we will discuss its weaknesses, and pay special attention to non-plasmonic nanoantennas, as a novel way to compensate for those weaknesses. These novel nanoantennas, apart from producing both, large near field enhancement and good scattering efficiencies, offer interesting optical properties, like the possibility of exciting nanoscale displacement currents that can lead to magnetic response, allowing the tuning of the amplitude and phase difference of electric and magnetic resonances independently. This opens a new path to guide light by just conveniently designing the shape and size of the nanostructures, so that they can arbitrarily interfere to direct light towards a desired direction. We will conclude showing how non-plasmonic nanoantennas and its combination with plasmonic ones (hybrid antennas) can act as basic units for the development of more efficient light emitting devices aimed at integrated photonics, (bio)-sensing, spectroscopic techniques (SERS or SEF) or optical nanocircuits, where tuning the light propagation direction would be beneficial to improve its performance.