Philippe Tassin

My research group is active in nanophotonics, a subfield of physics studying how light can be controlled and manipulated with electromagnetic structured materials. Light and electromagnetic waves are of paramount importance to our modern society, for the internet, smartphones, TV screens, etc. But further progress of optics technology is limited by the availability of natural optical materials.

To circumvent the limitations of natural materials, we study and design man-made structured materials that can manipulate electromagnetic waves—from microwaves, over terahertz waves, to visible light—in ways that are impossible with natural materials. This is achieved by using small electric circuits instead of atoms as the basic constituents for the interaction of electromagnetic waves with matter. Electromagnetic structured materials have the potential to create devices that can exert precise and advanced control over light.

I have pursued this research at both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, in Belgium, Greece, and the United States, and since 2013 at Chalmers University of Technology, where I am also teaching courses in introductory physics, optics, quantum mechanics, and computer science.