METANANO 2021

Quantum optics is an exciting and emerging field that is predominantly based on the unique properties provided by quantum mechanics, such as superposition and entanglement. It includes studying the particle-like properties of photons which could be considered as a useful resource for quantum information processing. One of the main goals of quantum optics is to understand the quantum nature of information and to learn how to formulate, manipulate, and process it using physical systems that operate on quantum mechanical principles. Compared to respective classical approaches, quantum technologies not only have the potential to considerably enhance communication security and computational power but also can be applied in interdisciplinary research including bio-marking, sensing, thermometry, etc.

The Quantum MetaNano Symposium provides a platform for discussions of recent progress in development, experimental realization, application of single-photon sources and creation of collaboration for scientists from all over the world. Also, the symposium covers theoretical and experimental research in the following and related topics such as:

• advances in nanofabrication and circuit integration
• diamond nanophotonics
• new materials and concepts for quantum photonics
• control of quantum emitters and lifetime engineering
• quantum nonlinear phenomena
• quantum nanophotonics for biology applications
• quantum photonic devices for simulations, sensing, and communication
• quantum communications, networks, and metrology
• novel quantum technologies

The impact of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the medical world continues steadily to grow. The non-invasiveness, absence of ionizing radiation, and a broad range of functional information that can be gathered in vivo constantly open new horizons for the application of magnetic resonance (MR) in clinics. During recent years, human MR examinations became more highly specialized with a well-defined and often relatively small target in the body. However, clinical MRI equipment is designed to be universal, suitable for scanning the whole body, making it less effective for small parts of the body. For this reason, specific devices based on high permittivity materials and metamaterial-inspired structures have been actively developing. Simultaneously, advanced postprocessing methods, such as artificial intelligence, became a useful tool in different areas of modern science, including MRI. In particular, artificial neural networks initially constructed to recognize the handwritten digit have shown their outstanding applicability for image segmentation, classification, and object detection in medical images.

This Special session aims to provide a platform for researchers to discuss recent progress and future directions in novel devices and advanced techniques for MRI applications. 

Tailoring the interaction of light with matter is the cornerstone of modern photonics and plasmonics. The conventional approach is to couple a photonic or plasmonic cavity with light emitters such as atoms, quantum dots, organic molecules, and conventional or low-dimensional semiconducting materials hosting excitons. In the strong coupling regime - when the cavity field and the emitter(s) exchange energy at a rate faster than any losses in the system - light and matter hybridize to form new eigenstates states carrying simultaneously light-like and matter-like properties. These hybrid states enable the possibility to manipulate light and matter on an equal footage, thereby allowing the design of new devices for quantum information processing, sensing, metrology, polaritonic lasers, energy transfer and control over chemical reactions. These systems also offer unique opportunities to explore the fundamental properties of light-matter interactions from cryogenic to room temperature environments with high spatial, spectral and temporal resolutions at the true nanoscale.
In this Special Session we aim at bringing together scientists from the photonic and plasmonic communities working on strong light-matter interactions all over the world and to promote fruitful scientific exchanges and discussions.

Plasmonic oscillations in nanostructures and metamaterials bear a potential of efficient conversion of light into local heat, chemistry or photocurrents. For the structure sizes and hot spots smaller than electron mean free path significant influence of the electronic states and optical fields at the surface of plasmonic material are expected. Understanding and optimization of these processes should allow approaching double digit conversion efficiency.
This session aims to discuss the mechanisms of efficient hot carrier extraction from damped plasmonic oscillations. Also, the study of the surface effects, reduction of nanostructure sizes, optimization of nanostructure geometries and new plasmonic materials are in the scope of this session.
The session covers the following topics:
-    Hot electrons and hot holes
-    Photoemission from nanostructures
-    Photodetection at metal-semiconductor interface
-    Surface damping
-    Chemical interface damping
-    New nanostructures for hot carrier management
-    New plasmonic materials for hot carrier management

The ability for conversion of light energy to thermal heat at nanoscale with resonant plasmonic and non-plasmonic nanostructures yielded rapid growth of interest in last years to thermally tunable meta-lenses, nanoscale photocatalysis, photothermal therapy, solar energy conversion and many others. The session aims for improving deep understanding of light-matter interaction phenomenon, which leads for higher efficiency in optical heating, and extending the possible areas of applications.

The session topics include, but not ilimted to:

- Thermal tuning of optical response of the nanostructures

- Optical thermometries at nanoscale

- Optical heating

- Hot-carriers and lattice dynamics under laser excitation

Wireless Power Transfer is a technology finding its way into products. The fast development in the area is possible when academia and industry are strongly connected with each other. This session aims to provide a platform to stimulate intense communication among the researchers and engineers involved in WPT development.  New phenomena, as well as improved WPT system designs for a broad range of practical applications, will be covered in the session. The works devoted to wireless power transmission and harvesting through near- and far-fields will be accepted.

In recent years, optical nanofibers have shown their enormous potential in areas as diverse as sensing, photonics, atomic physics, particle manipulation, and quantum optics. While their use in some areas is reaching a certain level of maturity, there are still many fundamental aspects of light propagation within these waveguides coming to the fore, such as the unique polarisation properties and the chirality of photon coupling.

This session will be focussed on both fundamental and applied aspects of optical nano- (and micro-) fibres and will provide a dedicated platform for researchers to discuss recent advances in this area. The primary aim will be to enhance interdisciplinary applications, through discussion opportunities between young and senior scientists and engineers. The session targets researchers from several disciplines including physics, photonics, chemistry, biology, and engineering.

Every year the research on metamaterials and complex electromagnetic structures offers new fascinating opportunities for handling electromagnetic fields. Metamaterials today are not just a concept, but a powerful tool of developing new antennas, RF systems, microwave devices, and components. At this stage, joint efforts of physicists and engineers worldwide are highly demanded for building a new metamaterial-inspired technology improving state of the art. Our session is a platform to share recent results and ideas on various applications of such structures in the RF. The scope of the session covers but not limited to the following topics on devices whose operational principle is based on the use of metamaterials, metasurfaces, and complex periodic structures:

• Antennas and antenna arrays;
• Radiofrequency identification;
• Navigation systems;
• Passive and active microwave devices and components;
• Quasi-optical components including anomalous reflectors;
• Electromagnetic compatibility;  
• Simulation and measurement techniques.

In several industrial sectors, ranging from mechanical, civil, naval, and aerospace engineering, up to biomedical and nano and sport engineering, one of the most challenging topics is the optimal design of architected materials and smart metamaterials. These are characterized by customized enhanced properties with respect to natural ones, responsible for extreme and exotic performances. However, such enhancements cannot be achieved without the proper definition of theoretical and numerical tools, as well as of experimental set-ups, both aimed at the reliable prediction of their physical-mechanical behavior.

The special session aims to provide an international forum for the presentation and discussion of the latest advances in the physical-mechanical modelling and optimal design of architected materials and smart metamaterials. Focus is on theoretical, numerical and experimental research outputs, with emphasis on multiscale and multi-physics techniques, that can involve homogenization, global optimization, and machine learning. Particular attention is devoted to innovative computational methods, especially conceived to treat very complex topologies. In this case, the direct application of standard optimization algorithms to the numerical solution of metamaterial design problems is highly demanding. Nevertheless, homogenization and machine learning techniques can reduce such computational effort.

Research predicts the number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices will reach 1 trillion by 2035. This growth is associated with the intensive development and implementation of modern wireless technologies in logistics, warehousing, and the "Smart City" system. Modern solutions can significantly expand the use of wireless identification technologies. This section provides a platform for researchers to discuss the new solutions on RFID components design, new principles and techniques.

This session is focused on the rapidly developing area of mechanical metamaterial design using active components. Such systems are formed using particles or unit cells that can perform mechanical work due to internal energy sources. These active mechanical metamaterials feature a plethora of novel physical phenomena associated with non-equilibrium physics and the breaking of time-reversal symmetry. Realized in a wide range of contexts from bacterial colonies and liquid crystals to colloidal microparticles and ensembles of simple robots, active materials open new avenues in energy storage and transport. In addition, active components allow for the tailoring of materials geometry by employing principles of self-organization far from equilibrium.

This session covers topics including, but not limited to, mechanical properties, phase transitions, cluster formation, topological edge states, and collective effects in sparse active gases, dense active liquids, and rigid active metamaterials realized using any number of platforms. We aim to represent both theoretical and experimental studies along with technological applications.

Topological physics opens up fascinating possibilities in resilient localization and disorder-robust routing of various types of waves ranging from classical acoustic and electromagnetic signals to quantum objects such as electrons or entangled photons. In all these cases, the topology of the bands is manifested in wave propagation and localization giving rise to exciting physics.

This session aims to bring together the researchers pursuing their studies in different directions of topological physics and to discuss recent advances in the field including higher-order topological states, nonlinear topological photonics, topological states of quantum light and non-Hermitian topological physics.

Optically-active atomic-scale defects in solids are highly promising for quantum technologies, such as quantum sensing, quantum communication and quantum information processing. This is because their state can be initiated, controlled and read-out using electromagnetic fields and possesses long coherence times. Additionally, such defects allow high degree of integration. 

This special session is devoted to the technological and fundamental progress in engineering, 
coherent control and practical application of spin-carrying color centers in solids, including but not limited to nitrogen-vacancy and silicon-vacancy centers in diamond; silicon vacancies, divacancies and transition metal-related color centers in silicon carbide; boron vacancies and carbon-related color centers in boron nitride. We will interface with leading researches to discuss recent progress in defect-based quantum spintronics and define future perspective directions.
 

Cathodoluminescence (CL) and electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) have become incredible characterization tools that provide unprecedented combination of space, energy, and time resolutions for the characterization of nanophotonic materials. In parallel to that, recent advances in nanophotonics and electron microscopy have enabled the development of novel light-matter effects triggered by free electrons.

In this Special Session, we will discuss these two developments in parallel, with a special emphasis on novel effects and characterization techniques such as quantum CL, electron wavefront shaping, ultrafast electron microscopy, and integrated free-electron-driven light sources.

Special session on Graphene and 2D Materials will bring together leading academic scientists, researchers, and research scholars to share their experiences, the most recent results, and forthcoming challenges in the field of two-dimensional materials and van der Waals heterostructures. We aim to bring together experimentalists and theorists to review the current status of this burgeoning field, identify the crucial areas where progress can be made, and foster collaborations and partnerships to vigorously pursue these goals.
This technical session will cover a wide range of topics such as: fundamental properties (experiments, theory and simulations), synthesis/fabrication techniques and novel applications of 2D materials at the forefront of scientific knowledge (sensors, THz technologies, flexible electronics, energy harvesting and storage, biomedical, thermal management and other).

Opto-mechanics – the field of science studying mechanical action of light on material bodies possesses grandiose fundamental significance and drives a variety of practical applications in physics, biology, medicine etc. Optical micromanipulators, first introduced by A. Ashkin - 2018 year Nobel prize winner - paved the way to efficient non-invasive control over particles dynamics via focused laser beams. This investigation started the era of ‘optical tweezers’. 

Recently, advances in opto-electronic and nano-technologies boosted the development of Opto-mechanics providing cutting edge abilities in manipulation on micro- and nano-scale. For example, holographic optical tweezers enable simultaneous manipulation of hundreds of particles; tractor beams provide additional degrees of freedom by attracting objects to a source of illumination; plasmonic tweezers mediate subwavelength self-organisation of particles and their enhanced trapping, and a plenty of other systems flexibly governing complex nano-structures.

Therefore, the main research focus of the ‘Optomechanics and Optical Manipulation’ Special Section is on the up to date fundamental opto-mechanical phenomena, novel types of optical manipulators and optically driven micro- and nano-mechanical devices (NOMS), auxiliary structures for tweezing, optical binding and optical matter, applications of optomechanics in bio-physics and bio-medicine, etc. 

Semiconductor technology has found ubiquitous applications in modern electronics and telecommunication. Its application is not limited by optoelectronics and can be extended to the functional all‐optical photonic devices. 

Fabrication of photonic devices involves advanced technologies combining the bottom-up and top-down approaches. At the current stage of development semiconductor epitaxial technology allows fabrication of functional materials with pristine crystalline quality, low optical loss and excellent electronic properties, allowing realisation of both active and passive photonic device components such as nanoscale light emission and detection on nanoscale, waveguiding, frequency mixing and nonlinear frequency conversion. Thin film heterostructures, as well as low dimensional systems, including quantum wells, quantum dots and nanowires owing to their outstanding electron and optical properties open up new paths for the study and development of light emitting diodes and lasers, single photon emitters, elements of nonlinear optics, solar cells and photodetectors, which are required for state-of-the-art optoelectronic devices and integral schemes.

III-V, II-VI, nitrides’ or oxides’ semiconductors providing energy band gap engineering and light confinement management are considered to be a promising platforms for future optoelectronic applications with fascinating properties. These materials can be synthesized not only on lattice-matched semiconductor substrates such as Si, GaAs, Ge or InP, etc. but on optically transparent dielectric wafers including sapphire. Modern epitaxial technologies, namely molecular beam epitaxy, metal-organic chemical vapor deposition or atomic layer deposition provide the fabrication of complex heterostructures at a sufficiently low cost, and there appears to be a growing demand for them.

This special session provides a venue for researchers to discuss the recent progress of epitaxial technologies and nanofabrication technique for the synthesis of functional photonic materials, advanced characterization tools, and device processing that enables to develop new emerging photonic and optoelectronic applications based on semiconductors.

Microcavity exciton-polaritons offer a unique platform to probe a plethora of fundamental  quantum many-body phenomena in a solid-state system. The special section on microcavity polaritons brings together the researchers in the field to share the recent theoretical and experimental results. The topics of the section include but  not limited to:
- Superfluidity and Bose-Einstein condensation of exciton-polaritons.
- Quantum information processing with exciton-polaritons.
- Organic and hybrid microcavities
- Topological phenomena in polariton lattices

Resonant states (also known as quasi-normal or leaky modes) play the central role in the electrodynamics and optics of photonic structures and metasurfaces, governing their linear and nonlinear optical response. The goal of the current section is to highlight the new achievements in this rapidly developing field of modern optics, including the new promising theoretical approaches and recent experimental achievements.