Professor Anatoly Zayats (LCN Co-director and Head of Photonics & Nanotechnology Group at King’s) has been awarded a European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant to investigate new ways of linking light and electron spin in nanoscale devices.
The project will explore how light can be used to control the spin of electrons, a quantum property that offers new approaches to storing and processing information, as well as how electron spin can be used to control light signals. Bringing these capabilities together could enable entirely new forms of nanophotonic technology.
Central to the research are metasurfaces, ultra-thin engineered materials composed of nanoscale structures that can precisely manipulate light. The team will use these materials to strengthen the connection between optical and electronic processes at the nanoscale.
Supported through one of Europe’s most competitive research funding schemes, the project has the potential to open new directions in nanophotonics, with applications spanning optical communications, integrated photonic circuits and future quantum technologies.
