OSA-RS Speaker Series: Miguel Alonso, Institut Fresnel and University of Rochester

The Geometry Hidden In Light

Miguel Alonso, Institut Fresnel and University of Rochester

Abstract

In this talk I’ll discuss several geometrical representations in various optical phenomena and their applications. Such geometry is often not evident but hidden in abstract spaces that describe the many degrees of freedom of light. Among the topics discussed are the description of various types of optical beams and their properties, polarization of paraxial beams and focused fields, as well as the concept of geometric phase and its multiple incarnations in optics. Finally, a series of applications will be presented, including new techniques for measuring nanostructures based on analogies with quantum formalism, microscopic position detection and 3D orientation of fluorophores, new forms of displacement interferometry, as well as simple formulas to understand the effects of some deficiencies in imaging systems.

About the speaker

Miguel A. Alonso received the degree of Engineer in Physics from the Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana in Mexico City and the PhD degree in Optics from The Institute of Optics, University of Rochester. In 2003, he joined the faculty of The Institute of Optics. While still a Professor at the University of Rochester, he has been based during the last couple of years at the Institut Fresnel and the Ecole Centrale in Marseille, France, as part of a 3-year-long A*MIDEX Chair of Excellence. He has been Associate Editor and Deputy Editor for Optics Express, Chair of Spotlight on Optics, Associate Editor for Optica, and will soon be Editor in Chief for Optics Letters. He is a Fellow of the Optical Society of America.

Pre-talk dinner 

Pre-talk dinner with guest speaker Miguel Alonso will be held at 5:00 PM at Sodam Restaurant, 900 Jefferson Rd, Rochester, NY 14623, prior to the talk. Contact the House Committee by email for dinner reservations. Email: house@osarochester.org