Events

Semiconductor quantum dots attract a growing attention due to perspectives of their application in quantum cryptography and quantum computing. The talk will contain a summary of our recent optical experiments on individual quantum dots. Experimental tools include cw and time-resolved microphotoluminescence, double pulse excitation, and photon correlation measurements. In particular non-classical emission of photons from a single quantum dot, influence and control of quantum dot optical anisotropy, and optical read-out of single electron spin will be presented.

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Current trends in microelectronics are associated with development nanometric scale structures, an integration of opto- and microelectronics elements on Si platform and radical innovations in materials, processes and metrology. In coming decades Si-based CMOS technology will most likely merge with nano-technology resulting in hybrid-type devices. The next generations of devices and technology requires joint efforts of scientists and engineers in physics, chemistry, material sciences, and other related disciplines, and innovations in metrology and materials development.

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This year's Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded to for their discovery of Giant Magnetoresistance. Applications of this phenomenon have revolutionized techniques for retrieving data from hard disks. The discovery also plays a major role in various magnetic sensors as well as for the development of a new generation of electronics. The use of Giant Magnetoresistance can be regarded as one of the first major applications of nanotechnology.

Potential applications of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) range from bio-sensing to imaging, sub-wavelength light guiding, and on-chip communications. These applications are ultimately unified in the paradigm of surface optics - where surface waves - rather than plane waves-- are used for on-chip optical communications between nm-sized ports.

As conventional magnetic recording technology extends to ever higher areal density, it is possible the often predicted, and constantly increasing, density limit will be reached. This limit will likely be in the range of 750 � 1000 Gb/in2. The use of nanofabrication to create patterned magnetic elements, or patterned media, is one of the proposed approaches with the promise of delaying the onset of superparamagnetism and thus enabling higher areal density.

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Nanopores are single nanometer-sized holes in thin insulating
membranes, which present a new tool for the detection and analysis of
individual biopolymers such as DNA. Applying a voltage bias, negatively
charged DNA molecules are pulled through the pore by the electric
field. When a molecule enters the channel, it displaces its own volume
of solution and hence it alters the pore ionic conductance. By
recording the ionic current it is possible to detect the passage of
individual molecules.

Optical microresonators find application in many fields of physics and engineering, from quantum optics to photonic engineering. Small size, unconventional geometry and the use of new material systems make these devices different from macroscopic resonators. In particular one encounters the limits of the paraxial approximation, a workhorse of optics that gives rise to the well-known Gaussian beams. Motivated by recent experimental progress, we have performed numerical simulations of dome-shaped microcavities, allowing for the effects of different mirror materials and geometries.

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How do you keep a classroom of 100 undergraduates actively learning? Can students practice communication and teamwork skills in a large class? How do you boost the performance of underrepresented groups? The Student-Centered Activities for Large Enrollment Undergraduate Programs (SCALE-UP) Project has addressed these concerns. Materials developed by the project are now in use by more than 1/3 of all science, math, and engineering majors nationwide. Physics and chemistry classes are currently in operation, with biology, engineering, and oceanography adaptations in progress.

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