# Welcome to the Masiello Group

light-matter theory at the nanoscale

We are a group of theoreticians with diverse backgrounds in chemistry, physics, electrical engineering, materials science, and applied mathematics working at the interface of plasmonics, nanophotonics, and quantum optics. Our research provides insight and understanding in the discovery of quantum, optical, magnetic, and thermal materials phenomena spanning the frontiers of high space and energy resolution. Deep connection to experiment influences everything we do.

# Recent News

### NSF DMREF renewed!

Our NSF Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer the Future (DMREF) grant was just renewed to fund another 4 years of thermal metamaterials research between the groups of David Masiello (UW), Stephan Link (Rice University), and Kallie Willets (Temple University).

### Congratulations to Marc, Andrew, and Matthieu for their first paper published in the group!

Their work, published in JPCC, demonstrates a new route to beaming electromagnetic radiation via the lattice Kerker effect.

Congratulations to Harrison, Kevin, and Jake for successfully defending their PhDs! Harrison is moving on to a data science position at the Institute for Disease Modeling; Kevin is beginning a post-doc with Steven Girvin at Yale / BNL; and Jake is beginning a post-doc with Johannes Feist the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.

### Welcome New Students!

Warm welcome to new graduate students Matthieu Chalifour, Austin Nixon, Nicole Panec, and Andrew Rossi!

# Research

#### Fast Electron Nano-Spectroscopy

Pushing the boundaries of fast electron spectroscopy, energy-monochromated and aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopes have opened the far infrared to nanometer scale spatial mapping. Together with experiment, we leverage these advances to resolve open fundamental questions in nano-spectroscopy, perform entirely new materials characterization techniques at the single-particle level, and discover advanced materials endowed with unprecedented functionalities.

#### Nanophotonics / Quantum Optics

Coupling between light and matter is extraordinarily weak. Optical resonator cavities provide an opportunity to coax repeated light-matter interactions, thereby enhancing coupling far beyond that of free space. In such settings, coupling can be so strong that it is no longer possible to disentangle the original optical and material degrees of freedom, resulting in non-equilibrium quantum optical states endowed with properties beyond those of their components.

#### Photothermal Spectroscopy and Microscopy

Measurement of the two distinct components—scattering and absorption—of a single particle’s optical extinction provides fundamentally important and complementary information on how that object processes light: either scattering it back to the far-field or converting it into internal excitation.

# Publications

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