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Colloquium: Maxim Shcherbakov (UCI) - Photonic Interfaces Across Scales: From Quantum Emitters to Ultrafast Light

Headshot of Maxim Shcherbakov
Tue, January 13, 2026
3:45 pm - 4:45 pm
1080 Physics Research Building

Colloquium: Maxim Shcherbakov, University of California - Irvine

Photonic Interfaces Across Scales: From Quantum Emitters to Ultrafast Light

 

Event Details:

  • Time: 3:45 PM - 4:45 PM
  • Location: 1080 Physics Research Building
  • Faculty Host: Mike Chini

 

Abstract

Light, in both classical and quantum regimes, provides a unique platform for probing and controlling physical systems across a wide range of spatial, temporal, and energy scales. Understanding how light-matter interactions evolve across these scales and how they can be engineered at their interfaces is therefore a central problem in modern science.
In this talk, I will present recent work demonstrating how designer nanophotonic structures enable efficient photonic interfaces to disparate physical systems, including dense trapped-ion chains1 and solid-state quantum emitters in van der Waals materials.2 I will then discuss how controlled stoichiometry in van der Waals crystals shapes phonon-polaritonic modes,3 and how these collective excitations can be directly probed in real space.4 Finally, I will show how tailored electromagnetic interfaces in the strong-field regime provide new routes to nanoscale frequency conversion using high-harmonic generation.5 These examples illustrate how photonic interfaces can bridge quantum, near-field, and ultrafast regimes, enabling new opportunities for quantum information processing, condensed-matter spectroscopy, and ultrafast nonlinear optics.

References:

  1. M. Momenzadeh et al., Individual Trapped Ion Addressing with Adjoint-optimized Multimode Photonic Circuits, npj Nanophotonics (in print, 2026).
  2. M. A. Sakib et al., Site-Controlled Purcell-Induced Bright Single Photon Emitters in Hexagonal Boron Nitride, Nano Letters 24, 12390 (2024).
  3. arXiv:2510.22019, arXiv:2309.05574 (2025).
  4. MRS et al., Photo-induced force microscopy, Nature Reviews Methods Primers 5, 34 (2025).
  5. G. Satrorello et al., Nonlinear Mid-infrared Meta-membranes, Nanophotonics 13, 3395 (2024).
     

Bio

Dr. Maxim R. Shcherbakov is an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Irvine, with joint appointments in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and in Materials Science and Engineering. His research lies at the intersection of quantum photonics, nonlinear optics, and nanostructured materials, with a particular focus on quantum-engineered metasurfaces for next-generation optical technologies. Before joining UCI, Dr. Shcherbakov was a postdoctoral associate at Cornell University, following his Ph.D. in Physics from Lomonosov Moscow State University. His work has been recognized with major honors, including the NSF CAREER Award, the DARPA Young Faculty Award, and the DARPA Director’s Fellowship Award. He has authored over 60 peer-reviewed publications and leads multiple nationally and internationally funded research efforts in quantum and nonlinear optics.