Nanophotonic Modeling

This course is an introduction to photonic materials and devices structured on the wavelength scale. Generally, these systems will be characterized as having critical dimensions at the nanometer scale. These can include nanophotonic, plasmonic, and metamaterials components and systems. This course will aim to introduce students to computational techniques employed in current design and research efforts in nanophotonics. Students will learn the strengths and weaknesses of each approach; what types of problems call for which one; and how your simulation will perform. Techniques include eigenvalue problems, fast Fourier transforms, band structure calculations, rigorous-coupled wave analysis, and finite-difference time-domain. Potential applications include photovoltaics, thermal management, radiative control, and nonlinear optics. The course should be useful for graduate students interested in incorporating these techniques into their design projects or thesis research.