Federico Capasso

Prof at Harvard; known for band gap engineering, quantum cascade laser, Casimir forces, metalenses, flat optics. Metalenz Member NAS, NAE, NAI

[Federico Capasso @quantumcascade]

@sofia_588 1912

[Federico Capasso @quantumcascade]

https://t.co/OKFJh2Z4iX
Enjoy this paper on optical singularities that showcases the impact of flat optics on structuring not only light but also the dark, well beyond the capabilities of conventional optics! Kudos to Daniel and Christina who did the heavy lifting!

[Federico Capasso @quantumcascade]

Original Bullshit Generator https://t.co/727fda2o1G

[Federico Capasso @quantumcascade]

The formula on the board is actually wrong : the electron charge squared should appear at the numerator and the product of hbar and c in the denominator; only in this way one gets a dimensionless number = 1/137. This was actually a Fermi prank for a PR photo-op!

[Math Files @Math_files]

Physicist Wolfgang Pauli once joked that his first question to the Devil would be, “Why 1/137?” He was talking about a number called the fine-structure constant. If this number were even slightly different, the universe as we know it would not exist.

The fine-structure constant (written as α) tells us how strong the electromagnetic force is. This force controls how particles like electrons interact with light (photons).

Unlike quantities such as speed or mass, this number does not depend on units like meters or kilograms. No matter what system of measurement you use, its value stays the same, about 1/137.036.

This number is very important for how atoms and matter behave. If α were a bit larger, the repulsion between protons would increase. This would make it harder for atomic nuclei to form. As a result, stars would not be able to produce heavier elements like carbon and oxygen, which are needed for life.

If α were a bit smaller, electrons would not stay tightly bound to atoms. Atoms would become too large and unstable. Chemical bonds would break easily, and complex molecules like proteins and DNA could not form.

Scientists still do not know why this constant has its exact value. It appears to be set in a way that allows atoms, stars, and life to exist.

[Federico Capasso @quantumcascade]

Discovery of a heavier proton !! Nature never ceases to amaze even at the fundamental level! https://t.co/euXsuQzgaG

[Federico Capasso @quantumcascade]

@GhulamM90 @ShibraAwan 24

[Federico Capasso @quantumcascade]

@Richmuskheart1 Game over

[Federico Capasso @quantumcascade]

@ElonMuskNewsDNA The word is HOPE

[Federico Capasso @quantumcascade]

@elonmuskTN 29

[Federico Capasso @quantumcascade]

@Matt_Pinner 18

[Federico Capasso @quantumcascade]

@Mathonymics I believe it’s Alexander

[Federico Capasso @quantumcascade]

Science July26 Quantum photonics promises scalable, secure tech, but current systems are bulky. Congrats Kerolos Yousef for engineering a metasurface that entangles photons using graph-designed metaatoms, paving the way for RT chip-scale quantum computing! https://t.co/N0hmVRloj3

[Federico Capasso @quantumcascade]

Most mind blowing science!
The jellyfish that never dies https://t.co/mLk3KmWCRb

[Physics In History @PhysInHistory]

An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field.

– Niels Bohr

[Federico Capasso @quantumcascade]

sent by NASA’s Psyche spacecraft, which is currently located approximately 1.5 times the distance between Earth and the sun. https://t.co/TlQU13N4xH

[Federico Capasso @quantumcascade]

What a great inspiring story of how a girl made an important contribution to science with a major discovery! The powerful drive of curiosity and passion kindled by a passionate dad! https://t.co/oPfHpfKAH9

[Federico Capasso @quantumcascade]

Now I am spelling bee champ! https://t.co/LiEo9AGQb3

[Federico Capasso @quantumcascade]

Here’s the paper on our 10 cm metalens with which we imaged the total solar eclipse yesterday. The image quality of the nebula, sun and moon exceeds that achieved with more complex telescope optics. https://t.co/9rzVjEDP2S

[Federico Capasso @quantumcascade]

First image of solar eclipse with a metalens telescope! Taken by my student Arman Amirzhan at a site near Irasburg, Vermont (44°49'50.5"N
72°14'23.8"W) on 4/8/2024. The 10 cm glass metalens was fabricated by my postdoc Joon-Suh Park. Note the flare from the corona near hour 2.

[Federico Capasso @quantumcascade]

Solitons on demand! We demonstrate solitons that are stable in a ring laser and form spontaneously with tuning laser bias, eliminating the need for an external optical pump. Congrats to a great international team! https://t.co/E8hSBQd13z