Prof. Gaurav Bahl Has Research Opening in Optomechanics, Nonlinear Optics and MEMS/NEMS

Prof. Gaurav Bahl in Mechanical Science and Engineering is seeking a graduate student wishing to pursue a PhD for experimental research in optomechanics, nonlinear optics, and micro/nanomechanical systems. Financial support may be available.

The primary requirement for applicants is a strong background in optics (free space or fiber) and/or electromagnetics. Students with experimental experience in these areas will be strongly preferred, but that is not necessary to apply. General academic interest in quantum mechanics and device physics is appreciated.

Our multidisciplinary research group is working towards a new field of study that merges optics, acoustics, and micro/nanomechanics for applications in:

(1) microwave and RF oscillators and signal processing,
(2) opto-mechanical gyroscopes,
(3) opto-mechanical microfluidics,
(4) thermal management and quantum sciences, and
(5) harsh environment physical sensors.

Please contact Prof. Bahl at bahl@illinois.edu if interested.

For more information about Prof. Bahl's research, please see his departmental and research webpages.

Representative works

G. Bahl, M. Tomes, F. Marquardt, T. Carmon, "Observation of spontaneous Brillouin cooling," Nature Physics, Vol. 8, No. 3, pp. 203-207 (2012). doi:10.1038/nphys2206

M. Tomes, F. Marquardt, G. Bahl, T. Carmon, "Quantum mechanical theory of optomechanical Brillouin cooling," Phys. Rev. A 84, 063806, 2011.

G. Bahl, J. Zehnpfennig, M. Tomes, T. Carmon, "Stimulated optomechanical excitation of surface acoustic waves in a microdevice," Nature Communications, 2:403, doi: 10.1038/ncomms1412, 2011.