Spatiotemporal photonic technologies
Light is at the heart of today’s information technologies. Optical fibres carry the internet, and photonic integrated circuits link light with electronic computing. As data traffic, AI, autonomous systems and 6G networks grow, they demand photonic hardware that can control light far faster and more efficiently than today’s mostly static components. Without new approaches capable of ultrafast, reconfigurable operation, progress in computing, communication and quantum technologies will slow down. Meeting these challenges requires a shift toward systems that control light in both space and time. SPARK responds to this need by combining spatiotemporal metamaterials with spatiotemporally structured light. Together, these allow programmable optical responses with control over frequency, phase, momentum, polarization, and angular momentum at ultrafast speeds. SPARK DN will educate 15 Doctoral Candidates to become Europe’s first cohort of researchers able to work across ultrafast optics, metamaterials, nanophotonics, inverse design, quantum electrodynamics, and advanced fabrication. Through international mobility, joint supervision, and industrial secondments, the DCs will gain experience linking fundamental research to real-world technologies. The research and training activities run in parallel across three connected areas: developing spatiotemporal metamaterials and their theoretical foundations; generating and controlling spatiotemporal light fields with metasurfaces and photonic crystals; and demonstrating early technologies for ultrafast computing, imaging, and communication. This coordinated structure ensures that DCs learn to collaborate across disciplines and integrate theory, design, and experiment. SPARK’s combination of scientific innovation and structured doctoral education equips the network to train researchers capable of driving Europe’s advancement in next-generation digital systems, sustainable technological development, and sovereign photonic solutions.
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Imported from OpenAIRE United Kingdom | Grant 101310184.
Open sourceOverview
Grant agreement 101310184 | SPARK
Open sourceLight is at the heart of today’s information technologies. Optical fibres carry the internet, and photonic integrated circuits link light with electronic computing. As data traffic, AI, autonomous systems and 6G networks grow, they demand photonic hardware that can control light far faster and more efficiently than today’s mostly static components. Without new approaches capable of ultrafast, reconfigurable operation, progress in computing, communication and quantum technologies will slow down. Meeting these challenges requires a shift toward systems that control light in both space and time. SPARK responds to this need by combining spatiotemporal metamaterials with spatiotemporally structured light. Together, these allow programmable optical responses with control over frequency, phase, momentum, polarization, and angular momentum at ultrafast speeds. SPARK DN will educate 15 Doctoral Candidates to become Europe’s first cohort of researchers able to work across ultrafast optics, metamaterials, nanophotonics, inverse design, quantum electrodynamics, and advanced fabrication. Through international mobility, joint supervision, and industrial secondments, the DCs will gain experience linking fundamental research to real-world technologies. The research and training activities run in parallel across three connected areas: developing spatiotemporal metamaterials and their theoretical foundations; generating and controlling spatiotemporal light fields with metasurfaces and photonic crystals; and demonstrating early technologies for ultrafast computing, imaging, and communication. This coordinated structure ensures that DCs learn to collaborate across disciplines and integrate theory, design, and experiment. SPARK’s combination of scientific innovation and structured doctoral education equips the network to train researchers capable of driving Europe’s advancement in next-generation digital systems, sustainable technological development, and sovereign photonic solutions.