The first “Light in Complex Materials” international workshop took place from 8 – 10 April 2019 at the University of Exeter. Organised jointly by researchers at the University of Exeter and the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Jena (Germany), this workshop attracted over 70 scientists and researchers from 3 continents, including many of the world leaders in wavefront shaping, light scattering, and fibre optical physics. Understanding and controlling the propagation of light through complex scattering materials is a rapidly advancing area, promising a host of new technologies in fields such as deep tissue imaging, optical communication, and optical computing. The overarching aim of this workshop was to bring together the diverse communities working on these challenges, to share visions and methods with each other, and particularly with the younger generation of students and early career researchers.
The technical program was led by keynote speakers from Yale and CalTech (USA), Utrecht (Netherlands), and Erlangen (Germany), along with 6 invited talks from LKB (Paris, France), Twente (Netherlands), EPFL (Swizerland), Seoul (Korea), and Southampton and Cambridge (UK). Discussions were focussed around the state-of-the-art in our understanding of light scattering in complex media, novel techniques for imaging through opaque objects, fibre optical physics, and micro-endoscopy. In addition, 14 abstracts from a highly international pool of early career researchers were selected for presentations, and a further 30 for a lively poster session. 3 industry representatives also gave talks: Nokia-Bell Labs, Meadowlark Optics (USA), and Vialux (Germany).
The organizers would like to thank all participants, and are grateful for the generous support from our sponsors: the University of Exeter Centre for Doctoral Training in Metamaterials (XM² ), the University of Exeter College of Engineering Mathematics and Physical Sciences (CEMPS), the University of Exeter Centre for Innovation, Impact and Business (IIB), and Meadowlark Optics.
XM² representation at the workshop included:
Talks
* Prof Frank Vollmer: “Lightwaves meet Molecular Machines: Sensing Single Protein Dynamics with Optoplasmonic Microcavities.”
Posters
* Rachel Lennon (1st year PGR): “Measuring the transmission matrix of a diffuser”
* Andrew Corbett (research fellow in computer science): “Modelling radiance distributions in natural water bodies”
* Kishan Menghrajani (4th year PGR): “Strong coupling of molecular vibrational resonances in a metal-clad microcavity below cut-off”
* Dr Jacopo Bertolotti (senior lecturer in physics, and workshop organiser): “Blind ghost imaging”
* Dr David Phillips (research fellow in physics, and workshop organiser): “Mode selective mirrors”
