APL Photonics Selects Recipient for 2023 Future Luminary Award

Magdalena Furman receives recognition for her work that opens new pathways for the development of optical technologies.

MELVILLE, N.Y., May 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Magdalena Furman, a PhD student in Physics at the University of Warsaw, Poland, has been selected as the recipient of the APL Photonics 2023 Future Luminary Award for her work in advancing the understanding of optical bistability and optical limiting in microcavities.

Her winning paper, "Inverted Optical Bistability and Optical Limiting in Coherently Driven Exciton–Polaritons," appeared in the April 2023 issue of APL Photonics, published by AIP Publishing. The Award Committee that selected Furman as a promising early-career researcher included members of the journal's esteemed Editorial Advisory Board.

"We are thrilled to announce Magdalena Furman as the recipient of this year's APL Photonics Future Luminary Award. Her groundbreaking work represents a significant advancement in the understanding of optical bistability and optical limiting in microcavities. This study not only showcases the inverted hysteresis direction in optical bistability but also beautifully aligns comprehensive experimental findings with theoretical analyses," said APL Photonics Editor in Chief Benjamin Eggleton. He added, "We are proud to recognize Magdalena's contributions to the field of exciton-polariton physics with this award. Her exploration of exfoliated CdTe-based semiconductor microcavities, especially under conditions where the pumping laser frequency is slightly below the lower polariton mode, opens new pathways for the development of optical technologies."

Explaining her approach, Furman said, "I look for low-threshold nonlinear effects, like low-threshold lasing or low-threshold blueshift of resonant states in semiconductor optical microcavities. I use these nonlinearities in neuromorphic calculations based on optical networks of interacting Bose-Einstein exciton-polariton condensates. I believe that this research can contribute to the construction of more efficient and less energy-consuming computing platforms."

Furman's research focuses on the physics of exciton-polaritons. In this field, she is investigating the low-threshold nonlinear effects in semiconductor optical microcavities. She utilizes these nonlinearities in neuromorphic computing based on optical networks of interacting exciton-polariton Bose-Einstein condensates. She is currently working on creating photonic structures that would provide the Bose-Einstein condensation of exciton-polaritons at ultra-low excitation power threshold.

The APL Photonics Future Luminary Award, which recognizes early-career researchers with the potential to become luminaries in the field of photonics, includes a $3,000 honorarium, the opportunity to join the APL Photonics Early Career Editorial Advisory Board, and an invitation to write an Invited Article in APL Photonics.

"I am honored to receive the prestigious APL Photonics Future Luminary Award. The recognition of my research greatly motivates me to continue working on this topic. It also means that the hard work I put in this field makes sense and that becoming a scientist was a good career choice," Furman explained.

ABOUT APL PHOTONICS

APL Photonics is the dedicated home for open access multidisciplinary research from and for the photonics community. The journal publishes fundamental and applied results that significantly advance the knowledge in photonics across physics, chemistry, biology, and materials science.

ABOUT AIP PUBLISHING

AIP Publishing's mission is to advance, promote, and serve the physical sciences for the benefit of humanity by breaking barriers to open, equitable research communication and empowering researchers to accelerate global progress. AIP Publishing is a wholly owned not-for-profit subsidiary of the American Institute of Physics (AIP) and supports the charitable, scientific, and educational purposes of AIP through scholarly publishing activities on its behalf and on behalf of our publishing partners.

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SOURCE AIP Publishing