Roques-Carmes Group

Nanophotonics and Light-Matter Interactions

When confined to the nanoscale, photons behave in unusual and intriguing ways, leading to transformative applications in quantum technologies, biosensing, advanced microscopy, and next-generation communication technologies. These novel behaviors arise from subwavelength light confinement and fundamental quantum optical interactions that dominate at these scales.

The past decade has witnessed tremendous progress in nanophotonics and light-matter interactions. Highly configurable, integrated nanophotonic circuits were developed and novel materials were integrated to introduce unique functionalities on-chip, such as light amplification and energy conversion. Another recent advancement was the acceleration of computational modeling capabilities for three-dimensional nanophotonic structures. In addition, the field has expanded into commercial applications that significantly enhance performance in areas like photonic computing, interconnects, quantum technologies, and sensing.

The Roques-Carmes group at ISTA is dedicated to observing, understanding, engineering, and harnessing these new regimes of nanoscale light-matter interactions. Our approach leverages advanced theoretical frameworks and state-of-the-art experimental methods, including ultrafast electron microscopy, X-ray imaging, and quantum sensing.

We view our lab as an incubator for innovative ideas at the intersection of physics and engineering. Our research philosophy emphasizes creativity and collaborative exploration as well as nurturing an environment that supports both fundamental discoveries and impactful technological advances. We strive to accelerate progress from theoretical insight to real-world application.