ICTS

This is a joint ICTS-RRI Discussion Meeting on the geometric phase and its applications in optics and condensed matter. There has been much interest from the Indian scientific community on the topic of geometric phase. Since the early days, this topic has had diverse applications in condensed matter physics and optics. The subject has broad appeal and brings the higher mathematics of differential geometry and topology to concrete experimental predictions. 

World wide interest in the geometric phase was sparked by a paper in 1984 by Michael Berry, who has had long standing links with India and Indian Science. The subsequent realisation that S. Pancharatnam had anticipated the geometric phase in the context of polarisation optics, was another trigger.

There have since been several advances in the application of geometric and topological phases in the areas of optics and condensed matter. In fact, research in the area of condensed matter has also influenced topological quantum computation. The growth of research in these areas is the result of exchange of ideas between researchers ranging across classical and quantum optics, condensed matter physics and quantum computation. Our discussion meeting is expected to be a natural point of convergence, which will bring together two prominent research communities - classical and quantum optics and condensed matter physicists, interested in studying the geometric phase, and provide them a platform to exchange and share ideas. The primary objective of this discussion meeting is to encourage young researchers to join the field and to discuss the future direction of research, to assess where we stand and where to go from here.The program will consist of two parts; the first part (21,22 January 2020) will consist of Perspective lectures which will introduce students, postdocs and interested researchers to the field.  The second part of the program (23,24 January 2020) will discuss advanced research topics in the field.

Eligibility Criteria:
Graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and researchers interested in the area of geometric phase and its applications in optics and condensed matter are invited to apply. Interested graduate students must have already enrolled for a Ph.D. (3rd year or above) or completed their Ph.D. in areas related to the topic of the program.

There will be a slot for posters during the meeting. To contribute a poster, please send title and abstract to the organizers at geomtop2020@icts.res.in