Photonic nanostructures, which can trap light at the subwavelength scales, offer an unique way for an efficient control and modulation of light. We focus on the application of the concept in the field of integrated optics, namely, in functional photonic waveguide structures. Such elements are of central importance for development of new schemes for all-optical communication, data processing and sensing; however, they can find application in quantum photonic technologies, too.
The activity involves theoretical investigation and simulation in two directions:
1) Subwavelength photonic waveguides
We investigate waveguides that are designed with the aim to achieve subwavelength localization (e.g., high contrast dielectric waveguides, hybrid dielectric-plasmonic waveguides). Such structures exhibit enhanced nonlinear optical effects, which makes them particularly attractive for design of waveguide modulators and other functional elements.
2) Photonic waveguides with bound states in the continuum
Bound states in the continuum (BIC), as an emerging area of research interest in the last decade, represents a new paradigm for an efficient energy trapping with vanishing leakage in general wave systems. Photonic BICs have been exploited as a promising tool for numerous breakthrough applications. We investigate BICs in photonic waveguides and their coupled systems, search for new types of BICs, and explore their topological properties with the aim to exploit unique properties of BICs for a control of light.