Celebrating Prof. Federico Capasso
(Harvard University)
This year's NANOPLASM 2024 conference holds a profound moment of celebration as we dedicate a full day of special sessions on Friday, June 21st, to honor the 75th Birthday of our distinguished colleague and esteemed friend, Prof. Federico Capasso. The sessions dedicated to Prof. Capasso's work will delve into his remarkable legacy and enduring contributions to our field.
Details of the program of the day will be provided as soon as practicable.
These sessions will culminate in a Gala Dinner, symbolizing our collective appreciation and respect for his lifelong dedication and impact.
Prof. Federico Capasso is the Robert Wallace Professor of Applied Physics and Vinton Hayes Senior Research Fellow in Electrical Engineering at Harvard University. With an illustrious career spanning several decades, he has significantly impacted the field of photonics and nano-optics.
His work in Bandstructure Engineering and Quantum Cascade Lasers (QCLs) revolutionized heterojunction devices in photonics and electronics. The invention of Quantum Cascade lasers, a highlight of this research, has revolutionized mid-infrared photonics, finding widespread use in various scientific and industrial applications.
Additionally, his pioneering research in Metasurfaces and Flat Optics introduced subwavelength structured surfaces as a powerful tool for wavefront control, leading to the development of metalenses with superior aberration control compared to conventional optics.
Prof. Capasso's contributions also include fundamental studies on Casimir forces, exploring quantum electrodynamical forces and their potential applications in MEMS technology.
Beyond his academic achievements, Prof. Capasso co-founded companies such as EOS Photonics and Metalenz, focused on bringing breakthrough technologies to market.
He has been recognized with numerous honors and awards, including the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Italian Scientists and Scholars in North America Foundation (ISSNAF) and the 2021 Frederic Ives Medal and Jarus W. Quinn Prize from the Optical Society of America.
Prof. Capasso's profound impact on the fields of Optics and Photonics and his outstanding contributions make his 75th Birthday celebration an event of significance at NANOPLASM 2024.
