Image: (from left to right): Max Planck Research Group Leader Claudiu Genes, Postdoctoral Fellow Hesam Heydarian, NRC Research Officer Angela Gamouras, Postdoctoral Fellow Défi Junior Fandio Jubgang, PhD student Aswin Vishnuradhan, PhD student Nicolas Couture, Professor Jean-Michel Ménard, PhD student Wei Cui, PhD student Ali Maleki, PhD student Eeswar Kumar Yalavarthi, Visiting PhD student Markus Lippl, MSc student Ahmed Jaber, PhD student Ilhem Bargaoui.
Quantum mechanics is a fascinating field with vast potential to transform various aspects of our lives. A basic principle of quantum mechanics is superposition, where two very different states can coexist simultaneously. For instance, when light is tightly confined within a material, this light can propagate, it can also be absorbed by the material, but most surprisingly, it can do both at the same time to create a unique hybrid state combining characteristics of both light and matter. This phenomenon opens doors to innovative applications and technologies.
Ahmed Jaber is a PhD student working under the supervision of Professor Jean-Michel Ménard. At the heart of Ahmed’s experimental physics research lies the exploration of strong light-matter interactions. By housing a material within a photonic cavity, he explores the blurring process of matter and light as it gives rise to novel properties. Remarkably, no external light source is required to achieve this quantum system as it harnesses vacuum photons, undetectable electromagnetic waves that flicker in and out of existence due to quantum fluctuations.
Including both theoretical modelling and experimental measurements, Ahmed’s PhD project enables him to explore various spatial optical confinement architectures designed to interact with organic materials. His endeavours contribute to the burgeoning field of molecular polaritonics, aimed at leveraging light-matter interactions to engineer new organic materials with unprecedented properties. Applications of such materials span diverse domains, from altering the rate of chemical reactions to enhancing charge transport in devices and optimizing solar cells.
In his latest project, Ahmed devised new structures employing an array of small metallic elements covering the surface of a transparent material. This ingenious design confines light within a plane, facilitating an optimal exchange of energy between trapped photons and a thin layer of molecules deposited on the same surface. This innovative approach not only represents the core of Ahmed's thesis but also holds immense promise for revolutionizing the field of quantum materials and photonics.
Central to Ahmed's research is the use of advanced numerical tools to identify promising architectures for these nanostructures. Through simulation and modeling, he explored various spatial optical confinement configurations to optimize the interaction between light and matter. Computational analysis allowed Ahmed to gain invaluable insights into the underlying principles governing light-matter interactions, and to tailor the design of nanostructures for enhanced performance.
To ensure the quality and reliability of the final device, Ahmed collaborated with experimentalists to refine fabrication techniques in order to achieve precise control over the structural parameters of the nanostructures. This interdisciplinary approach is essential for translating theoretical designs into practical devices with real-world applications. Through rigorous experimentation and data analysis, Ahmed demonstrated the efficacy of his design in facilitating efficient energy transfer between photons and molecular layers, paving the way for a new generation of quantum materials with unprecedented functionalities. These results have recently been accepted for publication in Nature Communications.
Ahmed's academic journey has been punctuated by multiple awards and scholarships. Including the Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology, the Ontario Graduate Scholarship, and the prestigious best poster award at Quantum Days 2023.
During the summer of 2023, Ahmed was supported by the uOttawa-Max Planck Center for a 5-month research stay in Germany. Collaborating with the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light in Erlangen, he explored the theoretical aspects of light-matter interactions under the supervision of Dr. Claudiu Genes. His remarkable journey culminated in a keynote address at the International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter and Terahertz Waves (IRMMW-THz; Montreal, September 2023), where he showcased his groundbreaking work and won a student paper prize.
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