MICROCOMB ITN WORKSHOP – CMEP

Computational methods for nonlinear photonics

9-12 February 2020
EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland

Microresonator frequency comb generation lies at the intersection of fundamental physics, photonics and nonlinear dynamics. Its multidisciplinary nature requires innovative and specially-designed physical systems, and makes indispensable the ability to perform high-quality simulations of photonic systems and nonlinear dynamics, often with these properties interacting.

This 2.5-day workshop aims to provide fundamental understanding and practical know-how for performing such simulations. Integrated photonics simulations focus on the finite-element method (FEM) using the ubiquitous COMSOL software, and finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) methods. Nonlinear dynamics simulations will be demonstrated using open-source packages established in the Photonics community in Python and Matlab.

The lectures will be given by experienced postdocs and Ph.D. students from Prof. Kippenberg’s group at EPFL, the Laboratory of Photonics and Quantum Measurements. These will include case studies of actual systems, with the simulation process presented in a live, step-by-step manner – from understanding the physical model to final extraction of the relevant data. The participants will use their own computer to follow the simulation steps. We aim to cover a wide range of topics, from simple optical coupling and loss calculations to computation of the nonlinear dynamics of supercontinuum generation and dissipative Kerr soliton generation.

A major emphasis will be given to hands-on experience. Extended exercise sessions scheduled at the end of each day will permit the participants to implement their own simulations guided by the topics presented, in order to further understand both the simulation process and the underlying physics.

Organizer:

Prof. Tobias J. Kippenberg (EPFL)
Laboratory of Photonics and Quantum Measurements

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 812818.