Topological Scattering: From Graphs to Networks
This webinar is hosted By: Photonic Metamaterials Technical Group
18 May 2023 10:00 - 11:00
Eastern Time (US & Canada) (UTC -05:00)Topology has recently attracted a lot of attention in the photonics, condensed matter, and wave phenomena communities. Yet, topological transport is often described in very mathematical ways without clear connection to an intuitive picture, or a simple explanation of its physical consequences on energy transport or scattering.
In this webinar hosted by the Photonic Metamaterials Technical Group, Romain Fleury will discuss topological wave transport in the context of scattering, connecting it with a simple graphical rule. From there, Prof. Fleury will build and develop a comprehensive theory of topological scattering networks, proposing a definition of the topological phase that applies even in the absence of a well defined band structure. Experiments and direct topological invariant measurements will be performed on aperiodic microwave systems, validating the theory.
Subject Matter Level: Introductory - Assumes little previous knowledge of the topic
What You Will Learn:
• What topological scattering networks are
• An intuitive picture for the origin of topological edge states
• How topological invariants can be defined and measured even in aperiodic cases
Who Should Attend:
• Researchers working on metamaterials
• PhD students
• Post-Doctoral students
About the Presenter: Romain Fleury from EPFL
Romain Fleury is a tenure-track assistant professor at EPFL, in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he leads the Laboratory of Wave Engineering. He received a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from UT Austin in 2015, working in the group of Andrea Alù. Before joining EPFL in 2017, he was a postdoc in ESPCI Paris, working with Mathias Fink. His research interests include wave scattering, topological insulators, metamaterials, etc. He has received an ERC Starting Grant in 2021, and SNSF Eccellenza grant in 2019, a Polysphere STI teaching award at EPFL, and a best reviewer award from New Journal of Physics. He co-founded the start-up MinWave, which sells subwavelength microwave solutions based on metamaterials and has won several awards, including ESA Business incubator CH support, Venture Kick, and more.
