Towards Functional Sub-Wavelength Photonic Structures MP0702 Start date: 21/01/2008 End date: 20/01/2012 Year: 2 Marian Marciniak Chair National Institute of Telecommunications / PL

Action Parties Grant Holder: none recent interest from Latvia

Action participants

Use of COST instruments YR 1 YR 2 YR 3 YR 4 No. of MC / WG meetings 3/2 2/5 No. of STSMs 7 18 (+3RPS) No. of workshops / conferences 2 3/1 No. of joint publications 2 (41+53) 80 No. of training schools none planned GASG (activities) Posters, website, secretarial Website, secretarial

Scientific context and objectives (1/2) Background / Problem statement: Light-matter interaction in artificially wavelength- and sub-wavelength scale structured materials, highly functional, low-cost devices for telecommunications and sensing and bio-sensing. Brief reminder of MoU objectives: ‘to establish active links between European laboratories working in the field of artificial materials for photonics applications, where the structural dimensions are at or below the wavelength of light, and to foster and accelerate long-term development of this field in Europe.’

Scientific context and objectives (2/2) Research directions: high-speed components for all-optical communications networks and low-power supercontinuum generators, Sensors and biosensors, atomic spectroscopy, frequency/wavelength converters for communications, spectroscopy and microscopy, quantum information technology, photonic-crystal fibre light sources of optical and terahertz radiation, nano-structured materials for energy conversion.

Working Groups WG1 Plasmonics, Metamaterials, and Non-reciprocity Maurizio Ferrari (IT), Nigel Johnson (UK), Tomasz Szoplik (PL) – 3 Projects WG2 Photonic devices with periodicity and hybrid material systems Bjorn Maes (BE), Bozena Jaskorzynska (SE) – 2 Projects WG3 New functionalities Krassimir Panayotov (BG), Marc Sciamanna (FR), Stefano Taccheo (IT) – 5 Projects

Results vs. Objectives Strong consortium with a remarkable geographical balance Inderdisciplinary expertise - physics, chemistry, materials and biomaterials, both experimental and theoreticians. Special focus on: Nonlinear Nanophotonics (Metz Training School in March), Nonlinear Dynamics of Photonics Systems (LEOS Winter Topicals), plasmonics (Training School in Tulon), biophotonics/biomaterials/biosensing - projected. 1st Annual Conference was a great success! New instruments efficiently used – Reciprocal Pilot Schemes, ESR Conference Grants, Near Neighbours. COST Synergy with MP0803 & MP0805 initiated.

Significant highlights (1/2) Crina Cojocaru, UPC, Terrassa, Spain, visited Wieslaw Krolikowski & Yuri Kivshar, CUDOS, Canberra (AU) STSM under Reciprocal Pilot Scheme, April 2009 Objective 1: Experimental study of the SHG in different materials with a random distribution of χ(2) domains, Objective 2: Development of a theoretical model to describe the observed experimental results and to predict new and not investigated phenomena.  STSM very fruitful both in terms of experiment and theory, 3 joint papers projected.

Significant highlights (2/2) The Action organised a Nonlinear Dynamics in Photonic Systems topic at LEOS Winter Topicals, Innsbruck, January 2009 followed by a dedicated Feature Section of Journal of Quantum Electronics (September 2009) ‘The presence of and presentations by COST MP0702 members have greatly enhanced the visibility of the Action in the international sub-wavelength photonics community’ (from the Scientific Report)

Challenges New projects emerged at 1st Annual Conference: WG1 Imaging and Filtering Properties of Metal-Dielectric Multi-Nano-Layers: Modeling and Fabrication, Tomasz Szoplik (PL)  WG2 Hybrid Organic Active Waveguide for C-band Applications, Stefano Penna (IT) WG3 Near and Mid Infrared Photonic Crystal Fiber Lasers, Francesco Prudenzano (IT)

Special thanks to: Vice-Chair Concita STSM Coordinator Trevor WG&Project Leaders Event Local Organisers Voluntary Secretary Olga last but not least - Rapporteur and Caroline, Stéphanie & Milena 