Albert Polman
Encyclopedia
Albert Polman is a Dutch physicist and director of the FOM-AMOLF
research laboratory in Amsterdam
.
Polman received his master's degree
in physics
(1985) and his Ph.D.
degree in materials science and engineering (1989) from the University of Utrecht. From 1989 to 1991 he was a post-doctoral staff researcher at AT&T Bell Laboratories (Murray Hill
, New Jersey
). Since 1991 he has been associated with AMOLF
, first as a group leader, since 1999 also as a department head. In 2005 he initiated the Center for Nanophotonics at AMOLF; in 2006 he was appointed as director of AMOLF. Polman was one of the initiators of the Amsterdam nanoCenter, a regional facility for nanofabrication founded in 2003. From March 2003 to February 2004 he was on sabbatical leave at Caltech, where he was a research associate in the group of Prof. H.A. Atwater.
Polman is one of the pioniers of the research field of nanophotonics
: the control, understanding, and application of light
at the nanoscale. He is best known for inventing optical doping, i.e., the incorporation and optical activation of optically active ions in thin-film materials by ion implantation
. Polman's research group at AMOLF specializes in fundamental studies at the interface between optical physics and materials science
.
In 2009, Albert Polman was appointed as a member of The Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences.
AMOLF
AMOLF, also known by its full name as FOM Institute AMOLF is one of the three research institutes operated by the Dutch Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter, also known as FOM. The institute is one of the leading research institute in Europe in the field of physics and biological physics...
research laboratory in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
.
Polman received his master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
(1985) and his Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
degree in materials science and engineering (1989) from the University of Utrecht. From 1989 to 1991 he was a post-doctoral staff researcher at AT&T Bell Laboratories (Murray Hill
Murray Hill
Murray Hill may refer to one of the following places:* Murray Hill, Kentucky, a small city in Kentucky* Murray Hill, Manhattan, a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
). Since 1991 he has been associated with AMOLF
AMOLF
AMOLF, also known by its full name as FOM Institute AMOLF is one of the three research institutes operated by the Dutch Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter, also known as FOM. The institute is one of the leading research institute in Europe in the field of physics and biological physics...
, first as a group leader, since 1999 also as a department head. In 2005 he initiated the Center for Nanophotonics at AMOLF; in 2006 he was appointed as director of AMOLF. Polman was one of the initiators of the Amsterdam nanoCenter, a regional facility for nanofabrication founded in 2003. From March 2003 to February 2004 he was on sabbatical leave at Caltech, where he was a research associate in the group of Prof. H.A. Atwater.
Polman is one of the pioniers of the research field of nanophotonics
Nanophotonics
Nanophotonics or Nano-optics is the study of the behavior of light on the nanometer scale. It is considered as a branch of optical engineering which deals with optics, or the interaction of light with particles or substances, at deeply subwavelength length scales...
: the control, understanding, and application of light
Light
Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye, and is responsible for the sense of sight. Visible light has wavelength in a range from about 380 nanometres to about 740 nm, with a frequency range of about 405 THz to 790 THz...
at the nanoscale. He is best known for inventing optical doping, i.e., the incorporation and optical activation of optically active ions in thin-film materials by ion implantation
Ion implantation
Ion implantation is a materials engineering process by which ions of a material are accelerated in an electrical field and impacted into another solid. This process is used to change the physical, chemical, or electrical properties of the solid...
. Polman's research group at AMOLF specializes in fundamental studies at the interface between optical physics and materials science
Materials science
Materials science is an interdisciplinary field applying the properties of matter to various areas of science and engineering. This scientific field investigates the relationship between the structure of materials at atomic or molecular scales and their macroscopic properties. It incorporates...
.
In 2009, Albert Polman was appointed as a member of The Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences.
Selected publications
- Plasmonics Applied, A. Polman, Science 322, 868 (2008)
- Design principles for particle plasmon enhanced solar cells, K.R. Catchpole and A. Polman, Appl. Phys. Lett. 93, 191113 (2008)
- Tunable nanoscale localization of energy on plasmon particle arrays, R. de Waele, A.F. Koenderink, and A. Polman, Nano Lett. 7, 2004 (2007), also featured in Nature 447, July 2007.
- Enhanced non-linear optical effects with a tapered plasmonic waveguide, E. Verhagen, L. Kuipers and A. Polman, Nano Lett. 7, 334 (2007).
- Ultra-low threshold erbium-implanted toroidal microlaser on silicon, A. Polman, B. Min, J. Kalkman, T.J. Kippenberg, and K.J. Vahala, Appl. Phys. Lett. 84, 1037 (2004).
- Measuring and modifying the spontaneous emission rate of erbium near an interface, E. Snoeks, A. Lagendijk, and A. Polman, Phys. Rev. Lett. 74, 2459 (1995).
- Room-temperature electroluminescence from Er-doped crystalline Si, G. Franzó, F. Priolo, S. Coffa, A. Polman, and A. Carnera, Appl. Phys. Lett. 64, 2235 (1994).
See also
- Daan FrenkelDaan FrenkelDaan Frenkel is a Dutch computational physicist.Frenkel has carried out the largest part of his research at the FOM institute AMOLF in Amsterdam where he has been employed since 1987. Professor Frenkel is one of the select foreign members of the British Royal Society and has been awarded the title...