Colin Meulblok
Colin studied materials with unusual properties, including the ability to perform computations in the material without using an external energy source. These materials are able to do so because of the way they are designed, rather than because of their molecular composition.
One example of the materials Colin worked with is a collection of rubber beams that can snap either left or right. Colin: “We call these ‘material bits’ because they can exist in two stable states, similar to the 0s and 1s used in digital computers.”
Colin did his doctoral research in the Mechanical Metamaterials group led by Martin van Hecke. He divided his work between AMOLF and Leiden University. “Having the flexibility to take full advantage of the different research sites was really nice. Enjoying the best of two worlds.”
Francesca Scalerandi
Francesca studied hybrid plasmonic nanosystems in the Hybrid Nanosystems group led by Wiebke Albrecht. Her research focused on understanding how the shape and structure of extremely small gold-based particles influence the way they interact with light. Using advanced electron microscopy and light, she studied individual nanoparticles and developed methods to examine, change, and control their structure.
Francesca’s findings help us understand how light interacts with materials at the nanoscale. This knowledge is relevant to technologies that use light to drive chemical reactions or convert solar energy.
Vashist Gangigude Ramesh
Vashist’s thesis is called “Random walks of light in optical resonators” and covers the randomness of light. Vashist: “When you make things smaller, you will see that the smaller constituents constantly vibrate and move quite a bit. This also happens with light.”
Vashist points out that randomness is always present in nature. “The smaller you make the light trap, the more significant this randomness becomes. We call it noise.”
This randomness is not just a result of imperfections or external influences. It is a fundamental property of light. Interestingly, similar patterns of randomness can be found in very different systems, such as the stock market.
Vashist did his doctoral research in the Interacting Photons group led by Said Rodriguez.
Parisa Omidvar
In her thesis, Parisa explores whether materials can store and process information through deformation.
She explains: “Imagine holding a piece of paper vertically between your hands and slowly bringing the two ends closer together. At a certain point, the paper buckles either to the left or to the right. We can use these two shapes to represent the binary states 0 and 1, just like the bits in a computer.
“Now imagine connecting many of these elements so that they can interact. By carefully designing and controlling their interactions, we can move information through the material and perform logical operations. In a way, the material itself becomes a computer!”
Parisa did her doctoral research in the Hypersmart Matter group led by Marc Serra Garcia.
