Nonlinear Photonics Group

Our research treats nonlinear optics within the broader context of general wave physics. Examples include optical hydrodynamics, in which the propagation of light is described in terms of fluid flow, and statistical physics using incoherent light. The new language allows optical modeling and observation of material behavior that is difficult, if not impossible, to see by other means. It also provides a framework for the discovery of new photonic effects.

A major application of light flow is imaging. Unlike direct imaging with lenses, or post-processed photo editing, we are combining wave dynamics and numerical techniques in an integrated approach. The results run counter to intuition from traditional optics, e.g. sharper pictures from defocused waves and the improvement of signal detection and quality by adding noise. Specific fields of interest include microscopy, computational photography, and biomedical imaging.