Professor Ortwin Hess

Research summary

Professor Hess’s research interests and activities are focused on photonic and electronic metamaterials, spatio-temporal laser dynamics and computational photonics.

He has made seminal contributions to the spatio-temporal dynamics and quantum fluctuations of semiconductor lasers [book (Springer, 2003)] and to the theory of slow and stopped light in metamaterials, predicting the ‘trapped rainbow’ [Nature, 2007] which now been observed experimentally. Hess has pioneered active (gain-enhanced) nano-plasmonic metamaterials [Nature Materials Review, 2012]. He has further contributed significantly to quantum dot photonics [book (Imperial College Press, 2012)] and computational modeling of photonic crystals as well as to the quantum theory of temperature on the nano-scale.

Hess combines theoretical condensed matter optics with computational photonics, involving the development of innovative approaches and techniques leading to the realization of a unique and flexible family of codes for active nano-plasmonics, graphene and (inherently multi-scale) metamaterials as well as nonlinearities. He strives to explore the dynamics and light-matter interaction in active (nonlinear, gain-enhanced and dynamic) nanophotonic metamaterials, the physics of self-organised (polymer based) nanoplasmonic chiral metamaterials, quantum dots and graphene with gain as well as the dynamics of slow and stopped light and ultrafast (nano-) lasers. Recent interests also include nanophotovoltaics based on semiconductor quantum metamaterials.

Keywords

Graphene, Nanoscale Electromagnetism, Negative Refractive Index, Self-Organisation, Finite Difference, Metadynamics, Metamaterials, Nanostructures, Photonics, Photovoltaics, Plasmonics, Quantum Dots, Semiconductors

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