Intense laser-matter interaction and nano-photonics: from fundamentals to devices

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The ability to shape materials on length scales as small as a billionth of a metre (the nanoscale) is opening new frontiers in science and technology. Dr. Ramunno's research is key to understanding how powerful lasers can be used to make delicate and precise "cuts" and other restructuring in materials in order to make microscopic devices that will lead to advances in areas such as information and communications technology and medicine. Her laboratory is a high-performance computer with which she uses to accurately simulate the effect of intense lasers on materials. While her longer term goal includes bulk transparent materials such as glass, she is working towards this goal by studying the effect of lasers on more exotic materials such as tiny clusters of condensed noble gas atoms. Since the latter have many properties similar to transparent materials -- but are much smaller and hence easier to simulate -- studying clusters will provide a critical stepping stone to understanding how lasers can restructure bulk solids. Dr. Ramunno's program includes expanding upon her current computer codes to handle systems of larger and larger sizes, in order to simulate material restructuring in devices for the first time.For viable optical devices, it is also critical to understand how such fabricated materials can be used to direct light through them, particularly when the features are of sizes close to the wavelength of light. Dr. Ramunno will characterize and design such nanoscale optical devices through new computational techniques she has developed.  She will investigate the effect of unavoidable fabrication imperfections and precise feature shapes on device performance.An integral part of her research program is the training of three graduate students. Two will work on aspects of material restructuring by intense lasers, and the third in characterizing and designing nano-optical structures.