Scientific Seminars

Electromagnetic vorticity in Astronomy

Fabrizio Tamburini
Universita' di Padova

2011-01-12    11:00    Merate - POE

In the quest for a more complete knowledge about the Universe, astronomy, astrophysics, and space sciences in general actively promote new advanced techniques and revolutionising physics ideas. Of all techniques promoted, probably the most important ones are those that utilise electromagnetic radiation of cosmic origin in new ways. In this spirit, the application of novel concepts from electromagnetic field theory and quantum mechanics and optics is currently opening a new era in astronomy and space technology. The use of orbital angular momentum (OAM) of light allows telescopes to break the Rayleigh criterion limit, increasing their resolving power by up to one order of magnitude, thereby making way for a detection of exoplanets and measure the rotation of black holes. With OAM of light it is also possible, all the way to the single photon limit, to encode and analyse the presence of much more information than with conventional methods based on intensity, polarisation and frequency modulation. These new concepts, together with the principles of quantum mechanics, hold the promise to give a more in-depth information of astrophysical phenomena, providing new perspectives to our cosmic vision, much the same way that spectroscopy did at the end of the 19th century.