Regular guest from University of Minho
PhD student André Octávio Soares will spend three months every year at POLIMA during his PhD study
André Octávio has a background in theoretical condensed matter, having obtained a bachelor's degree from the University of Porto and a master's degree from prestigious European universities within the international network QUARMEN. He did his master's thesis at Sorbonne University, France, under the supervision of Profs. Jean-Noel Fuchs and Andrej Mesaros, where he studied the finite-temperature properties of systems displaying topological anyon excitations, by extending exactly solvable string-net models. Octávio started working on light-matter interaction and polaritonic physics when he started his PhD at the University of Minho, under the supervision of Prof. Nuno Peres, which is also being co-supervised at POLIMA with Prof. Christos Tserkezis. His research plan envisions long-stays at POLIMA throughout the PhD duration.
His research will focus on the topological properties of plasmon excitations - a kind of polariton where light couples to the collective displacement of conduction electrons. The first project of his PhD will focus on how topologically protected plasmonic modes can be engineered by the underlying geometry of the system, targeting both graphene-based structures and arrays of nanoparticles. Octávio's second PhD project will investigate how light can couple to symmetry protected electronic
His research will focus on the topological properties of plasmon excitations - a kind of polariton where light couples to the collective displacement of conduction electrons. The first project of his PhD will focus on how topologically protected plasmonic modes can be engineered by the underlying geometry of the system, targeting both graphene-based structures and arrays of nanoparticles. Octávio's second PhD project will investigate how light can couple to symmetry protected electronic