- Group Members:
Jean-Marc Fournier
Charles Gueudry
Group Alumni
- Research:
Diffractive Optics and Holography
Optical Matter and Optical Trapping
Detection and Measurement of Ultra Small Phase Shifts
Home
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Optical Structures
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Welcome to the web site for the Optical Structure Laboratory at the Rowland Institute at Harvard. Research
performed in this laboratory relies on the interaction of light with photonics structures, such as recurrent arrays
of dielectric materials, to modify and to control wavefronts and spectral composition of light waves. Conversely,
we also shape light fields to organize distributions of particles of matter. Our investigations concentrates in
three primary areas:
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Diffractive Optics, Structural colors, and Holography
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-peacock feather
(click to enlarge)
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Interference and diffraction of light on some photonic structures generate vivid and brilliant colors that
require no pigment to filter light, and therefore show extreme stability and longevity. We study structural colors,
Lippmann interferential color photography, and ultra-high resolution photosensitive materials.
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Optical Matter and Optical Trapping
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Periodic arrays of light intensity serve to trap dielectric micron size particles as well as cold
atoms. Optical binding is a long range force (proportional to 1/r) discovered at the Rowland Institute.
It allows to create “matter” by exchange of photons.
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-optical crystal
(click to enlarge)
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Detection and Measurement of Ultra Small Phase Shifts and Digital Holography
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An optical interference microscope built in the laboratory allows the detection of phase shifts as small
as  /3000. With the used visible wavelength, this corresponds to a step of 2.5 Angstrom
in a piece of glass surrounded by air.
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