Malta Café Scientifique presents a special event in collaboration with the Department of Physics. Professor Philip Russell will give a talk entitled 'Caging Light'. The talk will be held on Monday 21 March at 19:30 at the University of Malta Valletta Campus.
The late 1990s saw the emergence of a radically new kind of optical fibre, the photonic crystal fibre (PCF), which has led to a whole series of breakthroughs. Professor Philip Russell, who coined the term, showed how these fibres can 'cage' light and small particles.
Hollow PCFs filled with gases have been used to transform invisible infrared laser pulses into white light, millions of times brighter than any lamp. When filled with small quantities of chemicals they also allow scientists to study chemical processes better. Other PCFs guide light into an optical vortex, which has fascinating properties. Particles can be optically trapped and forced to travel over 100m inside a PCF, and then used as to measure temperature, vibration, or radiation levels anywhere along the fibre.
Prof. Russell will talk about his work on optical fibres, and how PCFs are revolutionising how we use light to communicate and explore the world.
Thanks go to Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Sammy’s By Culinary Forward, University of Malta, Malta Chamber of Scientists, Faculty of Science Centenary Celebrations and Farsons Foundation.