Theoretical Optics and Photonics (TOP) Group

Structured light consists in the generation, control, and tailoring of the various degrees of freedom of the electromagnetic field (such as, amplitude, phase, and polarisation, for example), with the ultimate goal of generating custom light field, that could adapt to any desired application.

Our research on structured light is mainly focused on optical beams and pulses carrying orbital angular momentum (the so-called twisted light), and their interaction with matter, both at the classical, and quantum level [see, for example, our recent work on quantum X-waves in dispersive media, in J. Opt. 20, 065201 (2018)], with particular attention to applications in classical and quantum communication protocols. Moreover, we are also interested in the engineering of the amplitude, and the phase structure of optical beams and pulses, for various applications.