Non-Hermitian optics is an emerging research field that seeks to judiciously combine gain and loss to achieve novel optical functionality. In this talk, I will first discuss some of the basic notions of non-Hermitian physics such as exceptional points and bi-orthogonality. After that, I will present an overview over the intense activities in this field over the past few years, discussing some of the promising applications in optical sensing, laser engineering and nonlinear optics. Finally, I will also discuss the recent work on combining non-Hermiticity with other quantum-inspired concepts such as supersymmetry and topological protection and their potential applications.

Bio: R amy El-Ganainy received his PhD, in 2009, from College of Optics and Photonics (CREOL), University of Central Florida. Afterwards, he spent few years as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto and the Max Planck Institute for the physics of complex systems. He is currently an associate professor at the Department of Physics, Michigan Technological University (MTU) where he is also affiliated with the Henes Center for Quantum Phenomena. His research work focuses on investigating complex light wave dynamics.

Please note non standard day.