ELFT HÍRADÓ

[mcsete AT physx.u-szeged.hu]

Seminar

Speaker: Dr Goekalp Engin Akinoglu,
School of Chemistry, The University of Melbourne

Date: 2pm, 10, October, 2025
Location: Zoltan Bay auditorium, IP, FSI, USZ

Title: Taming the Outback: Shaping Light–Matter Interactions in the Infrared

Abstract:
Light–matter coupling in the visible regime is today a well-understood  
and mature field. We have access to numerous materials that strongly  
interact with visible light, others that are transparent in this  
range, and reliable, cost-effective light sources and detectors. In  
contrast, the infrared is the wild outback of light–matter  
interactions. Here, a constant thermal background coexists with the  
fact that nearly all materials interact with infrared light, yet only  
weakly. At the same time, infrared sources and detectors are limited  
in availability and often prohibitively expensive. There is therefore  
a clear need to develop reliable materials and device platforms that  
can efficiently control and enhance light–matter interactions in the  
infrared. Despite these challenges, the infrared offers remarkable  
opportunities: photolithography-compatible device fabrication, covert  
optical communication, optical encryption and data storage, passive  
radiative energy management, and label-free molecular sensing.
In my talk, I will introduce a rational design of plasmonic templates  
to amplify weak vibrational signals through Surface-Enhanced Infrared  
Absorption (SEIRA) spectroscopy. Further, I will discuss a novel  
system for vibrational strong light-matter coupling based on  
freestanding and flexible PET films. Strong light-matter interaction  
results in the formation of quasi-particles known as polaritons. A  
polariton represents a hybrid entity, partially light and matter,  
coherently linking something we perceive as dominantly dynamic (light)  
to something more static (material). As a hybrid state between light  
and matter, polaritons exhibit properties distinct from those of their  
material counterparts and vice versa. Third, I will present a  
stimuli-induced adaptive thermal management platform for smart windows  
based on Ag nanowire networks that act as nanoscale Faraday cages,  
remaining transparent in the visible while strongly reflecting  
long-wavelength infrared light and enabling more than 40% modulation  
of thermal emission. Finally, I will discuss dual-resonant optical  
cavities featuring independently tunable visible and near-infrared  
resonances, enabling advanced optical encoding and covert photonic  
communication.
References:
1.	G. E. Akinoglu, E. M. Akinoglu, K. Kempa, and M. Giersig, "Plasmon  
resonances in coupled Babinet complementary arrays in the mid-infrared  
range," Optics Express 27, 22939-22950 (2019).
2.	A. Gökalp Engin and H. James Andell, "Perspective—Quasi-Babinet  
Complementary Plasmonic Templates: A Platform to Perform  
Spectroelectrochemistry," ECS Journal of Solid State Science and  
Technology (2021).
3.	G. E. Akinoglu, D. Quan, E. Rokhsat, and J. A. Hutchison, "Tensile  
Control of Vibrational Strong Light-Matter Coupling with Flexible  
Polyester Films," Advanced Functional Materials n/a, 2403657 (2024).
4.	G. E. Akinoglu, S. Wu, Y. Ji, S. Tang, P. Mulvaney, and J. A.  
Hutchison, "Adaptive Radiative Thermal Management Using Transparent,  
Flexible Ag Nanowire Networks," ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 17,  
3238-3247 (2025).
5.	G. E. Akinoglu, L. Patchett, T. D. James, P. Mulvaney, and J. A.  
Hutchison, "Dual Resonant Plasmonic Infrared Pixels for Selective  
Optical Encoding," Advanced Materials Technologies 10, e00035 (2025).

Everyone is welcome to attend.

Dr. Mária Csete


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