Kestutis Staliunas

Kestutis Staliunas

Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya

Engineering Sciences

Graduated Theoretical Physics, Vilnius University, Lithuania, 1985. PhD in Physics, Vilnius University, 1989. Habilitation in Physics, Vilnius University, 2001. A.v. Humboldt fellow in Physikalisch-Technische Bundesantstalt (PTB) Braunschweig, Germany, 1991-1992. Senior research fellow in Braunschweig PTB and University of Hannover on nonlinear pattern formation in laser systems and Bose condensates 1993-2003. Since 2004 ICREA research professor in Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Barcelona, head of research group (DONLL) on lasers, photonics and meta-photonics, nonlinear laser dynamics. Professional experience: around 250 articles in scientific journals with more than 7000 citations (h-factor 53); appr. 500 presentations in conferences (more than 100 invited ones); 4 patents, 2 monographs. Up to now directed (or currently directing) 20 PhD projects.

Research interests

Spatial quality of laser beams is of high importance in technologies: good quality beams propagate better collimated, can be more tight focused. Not all lasers, however, produce good beams: the radiation of especially very important semiconductor microlasers, microchip lasers,VCELSs, is chaotic and divergent. We develop new physical concepts and new techniques to manipulate the spatial structure of radiation, by using micro-modulated photonic materials: photonic crystals, meta-surfaces, non-Hermitian optical materials. We develop novel light-manipulation techniques in fundamental level and implement them in photonic industry. Also the good quality beams of microwaves, sound waves, or matter waves are of high demand. We apply our experience in "smart manipulation of light patterns" to the other types of waves, to produce "clean" and well directed sound beams by so called "sonic crystals" in acoustics, as well as "clean" matter wave ensembles in modulated Bose condensates.

Selected publications

- Ivars SB Milián C Botey M Herrero R Staliunas K, 2024 'Physical review letters', 133 - 9 - 093802
- Akhter MN, Botey M, Herrero R, Staliunas K 2024, 'Mode-cleaning in antisymmetrically modulated non-Hermitian waveguides', Nanophotonics, 13 - 7 - 1017 - 1024 - .
- Kontenis G, Gailevicius D, Taranenko V & Staliunas K 2024, 'Spatially Structured Optical Pump for Laser Generation Tuning', Nanomaterials, 14 - 1 - 49.
- Akhter MN, Botey M, Herrero R & Staliunas K 2024, 'Non-Hermitian mode management in periodically modulated waveguide amplifiers', Apl photonics, 9 - 10 -106115.

Selected research activities

Invited talks: SPIE'24 Strasbourg (France), Photonic West'24 San Francisco (USA), META'24 Toyama (Japan), ICTON'24 Bari (Italy);
Commitees: CLEO Europe/EQEC, SPIE Europe Prague;
Master course "Optical Materials and Metamaterials" in Master of Photonics and Europhotonics programme. 
Two defended PhD thesis: Nayeem Akhter (UPC); Gabrielius Kontenis (VU). Participation in two PhD committees.