photonics & high-energy physics -...
TRANSCRIPT
Regione Toscana
Photonics & High-energy Physics
Pier Andrea Mandò
Department of Research Coordination
Regione Toscana
Bruxelles, May 24, 2012
www.intoscana.it/TuscanyEurope2020
What do we mean by these terms?
• Photonics is a relatively young discipline, born with the
invention of lasers (≈ 1960). It is a modern branch of Optics,
and deals with the way to generate light and “control” its
propagation to create new functionalities. It experienced
an impetuous development in the past decades and is now
one of the leading sectors of modern Physics
• High-energy Physics is a way to indicate the Physics
of the nucleus, of elementary particles, and astroparticle
Physics. The name derives from using high-energy beams of
particles as probes to reach its scope, i.e. understanding
the intimate nature of matter in the world around us, and
discovering its elementary constituents
A great tradition in Tuscany
Photonics and High-energy Physics have different histories, but
both can take pride from illustrious traditions
The University formation of the young
Enrico Fermi took place at the Scuola
Normale Superiore in Pisa…
A great tradition in Tuscany
…and his first professorship was, in 1925, as a chair at the Florence
University, where he worked at the Institute of Physics, just on the
hill of Galileo, founding the “school of Arcetri”,..
…which produced prominent scientists
for the progress of Nuclear Physics,
like Bruno Rossi, Franco Rasetti, Beppo
Occhialini, Gilberto Bernardini.
Among Fermi’s colleagues in Florence
we find Nello Carrara, who later
founded and directed the “Research
Institute on Electromagnetic Waves”
In 1926 in Arcetri, the “National Institute of Optics” was
founded by Vasco Ronchi, another former student of the
Scuola Normale
Today’s Tuscan excellence
The great tradition of theoretical Physics started by Fermi ideally
continues nowadays thanks e.g. to the Galileo Galilei Institute
(GGI), established in 2005 by the National Institute of Nuclear
Physics (INFN) and by the University of Florence, just in Arcetri.
The GGI organizes and hosts workshops of 6÷10 weeks in
theoretical physics at the forefront of all fields of current research,
fostering discussions, confrontation of ideas, and the birth of
collaborations among participants.
High energy Physics
6
High-energy Physics - Theory
• over 250 participants per year
• 75% from outside Italy
• large fraction of young
researchers
In a few years, the GGI has become
a world reference structure for the development of
theoretical physics, favouring in particular the
encounter of young researchers with the top
scientists in the fields covered by the workshops
Experimental High-energy Physics
This tradition also continues with a top-level experimental activity:
over a hundred physicists from all the Tuscan Universities and from the
Florence and Pisa divisions of INFN are leading actors in the great
challenges of modern nuclear, subnuclear and astroparticle Physics.
Physicists from Pisa, Florence and Siena participate e.g. in almost all
the main experiments at the Large Hadron Collider of CERN, with roles
of absolute leadership
(a colleague from Pisa has been e.g. the head of the great experiment
CMS, Compact Muon Solenoid, 3000 physicists from 40 Countries
worldwide, ~450 Million Euros)
CMS at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN
High-energy Astroparticle Physics
AMS-02
MAGIC
PAMELA
2170th day in orbit!
CALET
EGO - European Gravitational Observatory
Joint French – Italian enterprise (CNRS - INFN) based in
Cascina, near Pisa
A huge antenna for gravitational waves (VIRGO) with extraordinary
sensitivity, based on a Michelson laser interferometer (two
orthogonal arms, each 3 kilometers long)
One of the three largest centres in the world for the detection of
these elusive waves, expected from Einstein’s general relativity
Impressive fundamental and technological
developments, e.g. non classical optical
measurements, ultra-high vacuum, ultra-high
precision mechanics, ultra-high reflectivity
mirrors. About two hundreds millions Euros of
investments in the past ten years (including
personnel), orders for a few tens of million
Euros placed to Tuscan SME
Tuscany is traditionally a seat of a value chain in the fields
of Optics, Photonics and Optoelectronics technologies.
Today, this is possible since this area offers a unique concentration of
scientific know-how in these fields, represented by University Depts,
Research Centres of the CNR, and others like LENS and NEST.
Photonics today in Tuscany
To give an example of Tuscan excellence, attractive capability, and
clustering potential, LENS has been one of the very first promoters
of Laserlab. Laserlab Europe II is a large EC consortium of 26
laser research infrastructures from 16 European member states
Within these activities in FP7, 2 ERC-Advanced Grants,
2 ERC- Starting Grants and 5 Collaborative Projects have been
assigned to researchers of Tuscan Institutions
Laserlab II network
Quantum Optics and Complex Photonics
Anderson Localization Random Lasing Levy Flights Photonic Quasi-Crystals
Quantum Interfaces Quantum Communication Quantum Measurements
Random Lasers
Complex Optical Diffusion
OSA “Best of 2009” in Optics and
Photonics News
Anderson Localization
Quantum State Generation
Quantum Interfaces
Quantum State Amplification
Transport in complex and disordered materials
Creation and manipulation of non classical states
THz Photonics
Quantum Cascade Lasers Nanowire and graphene detectors Frequency combs Non-linear sources Waveguides and metamaterials Metrology Spectroscopy Applications
Nanowire and Graphene THz detectors
Active region design
New geometries
THz comb self-beating Beat-notes between THz comb and THz QCL
Frequency-noise of a THz QCL
Nano-Photonics
Near Field Imaging Nanomanipulation Advanced emitters New Generation solar cells Magneto-Optics Spectroscopy Applications
Nanomanipulation Advanced Emitters
Single crystal nanoparticles
Gold nanoparticles activated by laser
pulses for tumor therapy at cellular level
Network of Excellence
Biophotonics in Tuscany
Biophotonics (i.e. Photonics for Life Sciences and Health) is significantly carried out in Tuscany by the research, industrial and health systems in order to pave the way towards innovative solutions in life sciences and health care.
The challenge is to offer new medical tools with the aim of improving the quality of life of the patients and reducing health care costs. The main topics we pursue in Tuscany are:
• Minimally invasive laser surgery (EL.EN. 1st EU medical laser company)
• Lab-on-chip biosensors (LENS, IFAC-CNR, ICCOM-CNR, …)
• Advanced microscopic, spectroscopic and ultrasound techniques
(LENS, INO-CNR, DET-UNIFI, ISC-CNR, companies like ESAOTE, C.S.O.)
• Nanobiophotonics and nanomedicine (NEST, UNIFI, LENS, IFAC-CNR,..)
Biophotonics in Tuscany
Examples of good practices on Biophotonics in Tuscany:
• Network of Excellence P4L - Photonics 4 Life
Tuscany is one of the 12 core partners of the Network.
Since 2008, the local Biophotonic cluster “Toscana P4L” has
been set and supported by the Government of Tuscany,
including research centres (9), companies (10) and clinics (2)
• 1st prize at the Innovation Village of Photonics Europe 2012
Awarded was a low-cost and easy-to-use photohaemostatic
device based on LED technology, developed by an SME
(Light4Tech) with 2 research centres (IFAC and LENS)
• ERANET + on Biophotonics 2012-2015
The Regional Board of Tuscany is committed to support this action
with a significant effort, comparable to that of other European countries
Pole of Innovation OPTOSCANA
The Photonic Cluster of Tuscany:
In April 2011 the Government of Tuscany launched a call for 12 Poles of Innovation as regional organizations aimed at the technological transfer from research centres to SMEs. One of them is dedicated to Photonics (the only one in Italy):
Pole of Innovation on Photonics for Industrial, Biomedical and Space Applications
100 Partners : 4 Divisions:
80 Enterprises Opto4Industry 5 Universities, Opto4Life
10 CNR Institutes Opto4Space
5 other Research org. Opto4Art 50 Public and Private Research Labs
OPTOSCANA is part of the network of the EU Photonics Clusters, under the umbrella of the EC Photonics Unit
WDM-PON for access networks
Photonics for telecommunications
Coherent system field trial at Telefonica - 448 Gbit/s QPSK in 200 GHz with coexisting 10 Gbit/s OOK channels
Leading-edge 1 Tbit/s demo at OFC 2012
exploiting time-frequency packing
Provisioningresilience, management and control of fiber-optics networks
Fiber-optics distributed strain-temperature
sensors
Lasers for the Cultural Heritage
IFAC-CNR in Florence plays a role of leadership in
the development of lasers for cleaning works of art
•Lot of technological research in this field, to
optimise the laser features for cleaning different
surfaces (stones and marble, metals, frescoes)
•Lot of technological transfer to industry
•Large number of important applications
Nuclear technologies for Cultural Heritage and environmental monitoring
In Florence, INFN and University have established a dedicated
laboratory, LABEC, based on a particle accelerator for:
• nondestructive characterisation of materials used to produce works
of art, using Ion Beam Analysis (IBA)
• radiocarbon dating using Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS)
The same techniques are applied to environmental monitoring,
through compositional measurements of Particulate Matter (PM) in
atmosphere, for:
• risk assessment to the population
• identification of pollution sources
• study of atmospheric trasport phenomena
• more general studies in connection with global climate change
Nuclear technologies for Cultural Heritage and environmental monitoring
Europhysics Prize 2009
for Applied Nuclear Science
for outstanding and seminal contributions to the
application of the Ion Beam Analysis techniques in the
field of Cultural Heritage studies, favouring the birth of a
new interdisciplinary research area that brings together
scientific and humanistic skills.
Nuclear technologies for Cultural Heritage and environmental monitoring
Nuclear technologies for Cultural Heritage and environmental monitoring
Research in Tuscany
www.intoscana.it/TuscanyEurope2020
Thank you for your attention!