Topics

Processing light in ever smaller components and devices entails a more detailed description of the optical field-medium interactions beyond that given by classical macroscopic electrodynamics,particularly at the nanoscale, where use of the classical theory was not envisioned. The quantum dynamics of atomic, molecular, and condensed matter media must be considered along with classical wave propagation in macroscopic media, using the Maxwell-Bloch formulation.

For high optical intensities, beyond the TW/cm² and short pulse durations, common approximations in the Maxwell-Bloch theory are no longer valid.

At the nanoscale new nonlinear optical phenomena may arise, such as nonlocal effects, quantum tunneling, electron cloud screening, ultra-fast switching, high harmonic generation, and additional, hitherto unknown phenomena.

In addition to the theory, new experiments must be designed to extract previously unattainable information in order to validate the new models. These experiments will require selection of material systems with suitable energy-level structure, appropriate density, doping, and size.

Through invited talks and brainstorming sessions, this technical interchange meeting is an opportunity to discuss current research activities in a relaxed, informal environment, while learning about common core missions, research and development plans, strategies and approaches

Some of the topics that will be covered during the meeting are:

• • extreme nonlinear optics (high harmonic generation, filamentation, rogue waves, etc.)

  • nonlinear nano-photonics (all-dielectric, plasmonics, electron spill-out, nonlocal and quantum effects, etc.)

  • low dimensional materials (nonlinear optics in graphene and other 2D-materials)

  • low-permittivity media (nonlinear optics in epsilon-near-zero materials)