Programming mechanical machines on a chip with light
With his Photonic Forces team, Ewold will develop so-called optomechanical metamaterials, networks of coupled nanomechanical resonators on a chip that are designed so that light and mechanical motion (vibrations or deformation) strongly interact with each other in ways not normally found in nature.
By programming these optomechanical networks with lasers, the researchers aim to explore new ways to make them behave like miniature sound lasers, microscopic engines, or computing circuits. These form minimal model systems that operate at the fundamental performance bounds, allowing general insight into the working of physical systems and the constraints on their function.
Uncharted territory
It is of particular interest to find out how the performance of such systems depends on structure and symmetry, aiming to discover fundamental design rules. Such insights may inspire new technologies for stable signal generation, nanoscale machines, and unconventional computing methods.
Ewold is looking forward to stepping into such uncharted territory, exploring the fundamental physics of nonlinear networks and leveraging the extreme degree of precision and programmability that optomechanical systems offer.
Vici scheme
The Vici grant is one of the most prestigious grants for senior researchers in the Netherlands. Ewold says: “Receiving it is a great honor, and it feels like recognition for the past work of my team and collaborators. The Vici scheme is unique in enabling research with such an open, explorative aim, with enough focus and mass to really explore a new direction for the group. I am super excited to see where it takes us.”
Learn more
For information about the Programmable nonlinear optomechanical metamaterials project, please contact Ewold Verhagen at E.Verhagen@amolf.nl.
