News & Events

Transverse Anderson localization in disordered optical fibers and waveguides

Dr. Arash Mafi, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Thursday, February 28, 2013
3:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m.

Sloan Auditorium

Abstract:
Anderson localization has been a subject of fascination and intense research for more than fifty years. It is highly desirable to harness its curious and interesting properties in practical applications. We haven taken a step in this direction by using this phenomenon as waveguiding mechanism in optical fibers. We have shown, both experimentally and numerically, that for a moderate amount of disorder in optical fibers, transverse localization results in an effective propagating beam diameter that is comparable to that of a typical index-guiding optical fiber. In this talk, we will survey recent advances in the fundamental understanding and application of disordered optical fibers and waveguides. We will explore the nonlinear properties, multiple beam propagation, anomalous macro-bending behavior, and beam hyper-transport in these fibers. We will also discuss potential applications in imaging and optical communications.

Bio:
Arash Mafi is currently Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He received his undergraduate degree in Physics from Sharif University of Technology, and his master's and Ph.D. degrees in Physics from The Ohio State University. Following his postdoctoral appointments at the University of Arizona in Physics and The Optical Sciences Center, he joined Corning Inc. as a Senior Research Scientist working on optical fibers and liquid crystal displays. He moved to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the Fall semester, 2008. His research interests include light propagation in complex media, and nonlinear and quantum properties of novel optical waveguides.