Welcome

Welcome to the Laboratory of Prof. Rashid Zia in the School of Engineering at Brown University. Our group works in the field of nanophotonics at the interface of electrical engineering, materials science, optical physics, and physical chemistry. In particular, we study how light is emitted from a range of solid-state quantum emitters (including atoms, defect centers, ions, molecules, and quantum dots), and we develop new ways to control and enhance the process of light emission for photonic devices.

The multipolar (electric dipole, magnetic dipole, and electric quadrupole) transitions in solid-state quantum emitters are natural microscopic analogues to the artificial scattering resonances in metamaterials and optical antennas. By developing new techniques to directly quantify and access specific transitions, we seek to engineer improved devices that can exploit the full range of light-matter interactions and provide unique control over the underlying electronic systems. For example, our work on optical-frequency magnetic dipole transitions in lanthanide ions has shown how higher-order transitions can be used to tune and modulate emission, even at sub-lifetime scales.

For this work, our lab has been supported by a National Science Foundation CAREER Award and a Department of Defense Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). Rashid is also the lead PI for an ongoing Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) on Quantum Metaphotonics & Metamaterials sponsored by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

Our group is also actively exploring new ways to combine automation with analytical and computational methods, especially group theory and machine learning, to change the way that experimental data is acquired and analyzed. We are looking for scientists whose broad interests may range from quantum optics to computational imaging. We are especially interested in the interface between applied math, computer science, mathematical physics, and optics. If you are interested in helping develop new tools for integrated computational-experimental science, please contact us.