Welcome to the homepage of the Computational Nano Optics research group at Zuse Institute Berlin!
The main focus in our research group is on investigation and application of numerical methods for simulating light-matter interactions on the nanoscale. An emphasis of research is on adaptive finite-element methods for solving Maxwell's equations. These developments are strongly interlinked to various collaborations with partners from academic, fundamental research and with partners from the industry.
Group members
Please see staff list on the right hand side of this page. Our interdisciplinary group is composed from mathematicians, physicists and engineers. The computational nano optics group includes several guests from JCMwave and from Helmholtz Center Berlin.
Annual Meeting Photonic Devices (AMPD)
The topics of our annual meeting are the simulation, physical properties and deeper understanding of novel photonic devices. Please see here for more information: AMPD.
News
Some CNO group news are reported on the Bluesky social network: @CNOatZIB - bsky.app/profile/cnoatzib.bsky.social.
Research
See research project list on the right hand side of this page.
- h- and p-adaptive higher-order finite-element methods, contour integration methods, application of methods for design optimization and parameter retrieval
- applications in nano optics: metamaterials, optical chirality, plasmonics, nano-structured fibers, photovoltaics, optical nano-metrology, single photon emitters, nano-lasers
Memberships
The CNO group is part of the following collaborative projects (as partners or researchers), with funding from DFG, Einstein Foundation, EU, BMBF, Helmholtz Association:
- Forschungscampus MODAL
- Exzellenzcluster MATH+
- Berlin Mathematical School BMS
- Joint Lab BerOSE
- Einstein Center Digital Future
- European Metrology Research Programme EMPIR / BeCOMe
- Competence Network for Optical Technologies OptecBB
Publications
See publication lists on the ZIB MSCP department page, on the project pages and on the staff member pages.
Recent publications include:
- F. Binkowski, A. Koulas-Simos, F. Betz, M. Plock, I. Sekulic, P. Manley, M. Hammerschmidt, P.-I. Schneider, L. Zschiedrich, B. Munkhbat, S. Reitzenstein, S. Burger. High Purcell enhancement in all-TMDC nanobeam resonator designs with optically active monolayers for nanolasers. Phys. Rev. B 112, 235410 (2025).
- F. Betz, F. Binkowski, J. D. Fischbach, N. Feldman, L. Zschiedrich, C. Rockstuhl, A. F. Koenderink, S. Burger. Uncovering hidden resonances in non-Hermitian systems with scattering thresholds. Laser Photonics Rev. 19, e00811 (2025).
- I. Sekulic, J. Schaible, G. Müller, M. Plock, S. Burger, V. J. Martínez-Lahuerta, N. Gaaloul, P.-I. Schneider. Physics-informed Bayesian optimization of expensive-to-evaluate black-box functions. Mach. Learn. Sci. Technol. 6, 040503 (2025).
- F. Binkowski, F. Betz, M. Hammerschmidt, L. Zschiedrich, S. Burger. Resonance modes in microstructured photonic waveguides: Efficient and accurate computation based on AAA rational approximation. Nanophotonics 14, 1665 (2025).
- C. Sikeler, S. Kempter, I. Sekulic, S. Burger, T. Liedl. Chiral plasmonic crystals self-assembled by DNA origami. J. Phys. Chem. C 129, 5116 (2025).
- J. D. Fischbach, F. Betz, N. Asadova, P. Tassan, D. Urbonas, T. Stöferle, R. F. Mahrt, S. Burger, C. Rockstuhl, F. Binkowski, T. J. Sturges. A framework to compute resonances arising from multiple scattering. Adv. Theory Simul. 8, 2400989 (2025).
- J. Schaible, H. Winarto, V. Skorjanc, D. Yoo, L. Zimmermann, K. Jäger, I. Sekulic, P.-I. Schneider, S. Burger, A. Wessels, B. Bläsi, C. Becker. Optimizing aesthetic appearance of perovskite solar cells using color filters. Sol. RRL 9, 2400627 (2025).
- F. Betz, M. Hammerschmidt, L. Zschiedrich, S. Burger, F. Binkowski. Efficient rational approximation of optical response functions with the AAA algorithm. Laser Photonics Rev. 18, 2400584 (2024).
- F. Binkowski, J. Kullig, F. Betz, L. Zschiedrich, A. Walther, J. Wiersig, S. Burger. Computing eigenfrequency sensitivities near exceptional points. Phys. Rev. Research 6, 023148 (2024).
- F. Binkowski, F. Betz, R. Colom, P. Genevet, S. Burger. Poles and zeros in non-Hermitian systems: Application to photonics. Phys. Rev. B 109, 045414 (2024).
Former group members
Lilli Kuen, Peter Tillmann, Frank Schmidt, Rémi Colom, Philipp Gutsche, Anton Pakhomov, Xavier Garcia Santiago, Theresa Höhne, Gauri Mangalgiri, Sven Herrmann, Jan Pomplun, Raquel Mäusle, Duote Chen, Benjamin Wohlfeil, Mark Blome, Daniel Lockau, Maria Rozova, Kiran Hiremath, Therese Blome geb. Pollok, Benjamin Kettner, Achim Schädle
