Dielectric and Molecular "Multipole Antennas" for Energy Sciences and Technology

• Who: Dr. Jon Schuller (view website)
  
• Assistant Professor, Univ. of California Santa Barbara, Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering
• When: Oct. 31st, 2012 @ 4:00pm 
  
• Where: Engineering Science Building (ESB), Room #1001

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Abstract
Solid-state lighting and solar photovoltaic devices typically employ optical materials comprising isotropic assemblies of atomic and molecular electric dipoles. Many nanomaterials, however, exhibit optical properties that are inconsistent with these simple models. In this talk we discuss novel optical phenomena arising from oriented “multipole antenna” resonances in organic materials and dielectric nanostructures. We identify multipolar resonances in semiconductor nanowires and show how to exploit these effects to enhance light absorption in ultrathin photovoltaics or to construct materials with optical properties not found in nature. These engineered nanomaterials also serve as models for understanding the optical properties of organic materials. We demonstrate antenna effects arising from oriented intra- and inter-molecular exciton species and describe ongoing efforts to measure and manipulate “forbidden” optical processes in heavy-atom phosphors and molecular H-aggregates. 

Bio
Jon Schuller graduated from the Physics department at UC Santa Barbara in 2003. Afterwards, he joined the Applied Physics department at Stanford University where he received his Ph.D. working with Professor Mark Brongersma. There, Schuller's research interests comprised nanophotonics, plasmonics, metamaterials, and IR spectroscopy. After graduating in 2009, he took a position as a Fellow of the Energy Frontier Research Center, where he applied nanophotonics concepts and techniques towards the fundamental study of solar cell materials and optics. In 2012 Schuller became a "born-again Gaucho," joining the ECE department as an Assistant Professor.

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