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My current research interests are in the areas of applied electromagnetics, metamaterials, plasmonics, nanotechnology, and nanophotonics, spanning a broad range of topics including extreme scattering engineering, cloaking and invisibility, nanoparticles, nanocircuits, nanoantennas, parity-time symmetry, active devices and advanced metasurfaces, with particular emphasis on cross-disciplinary research that takes inspiration from different scientific domains. In this context, I have extensively worked on translating and exploiting well-established methods and concepts from microwave/antenna engineering and circuit theory to the realm of optics, photonics and nanotechnology. In particular, working with Prof. Andrea Alù at the University of Texas at Austin over the past five years, I have been investigating – theoretically, numerically and experimentally – innovative aspects of wave interaction with engineered metamaterials and plasmonic nanomaterials, which may have strong scientific and practical impact in the coming years.
One of the core theme of my research has been the investigation of some fundamental questions of wave physics (“can we achieve broadband invisibility? can light be ideally trapped in open cavities? can we design aberration-free imaging systems? can we fully control wave propagation over thin surfaces?”), and the derivation of physical bounds on different phenomena. This approach has proven to be fundamental in several research problems, leading me to study some extreme electromagnetic effects and to explore novel directions to overcome intrinsic limitations. Within this context, I have successfully put forward new concepts and ideas to go beyond conventional designs, and I have developed new devices with enhanced performance for different applications at RF, THz, infrared and optical frequencies.
The fields that can benefit from my research – for instance signal manipulation and processing, imaging, filtering, energy harvesting, radiation engineering, wireless communication, cloaking and sensing – may be relevant to a variety of scientific areas, such as engineering, medicine, biology, and physics.
Research Highlights:
Francesco Monticone 