Sharp Features in Spatial and Temporal Wave-Shaping

Explore fundamental concepts in wave physics through this 56-minute conference talk that examines resolution, super-resolution, and optimal wavefront shaping across spatial and temporal domains. Delve into free-space wave focusing in two and three dimensions, where proper optimization formulation reveals global optima and new scaling laws. Discover how these principles connect to phase-conjugation and time-reversal approaches for focusing waves in complex media through a novel theoretical framework that simplifies and generalizes previous theory. Learn about the characteristics of phase-conjugate and time-reversal field excitations, including their focusing properties and optimality considerations in linear spatiotemporal systems. Examine how applying this framework to nonlinear driven systems provides fresh insights into nonlinear time-reversal and partial-time-reversal symmetries. Understand the practical applications of these wavefront concepts to emerging photonic inference device architectures, where creating spatially and temporally sharp features plays a crucial role in system performance.