On the occasion of the International Day of Light, we are pleased to host the workshop Illuminating Ideas, organized in line with our department's improvement initiatives.

A workshop to celebrate the scientific breakthroughs and technological innovations made possible by the study and application of light. From the detection of particles and the exploration of the universe to the development of advanced sensors and secure quantum communication, light lies at the heart of countless research areas.

The International Day of Light, observed on May 16, commemorates the anniversary of the first successful operation of the ruby laser by Theodore Maiman in 1960 at Hughes Research Laboratories. This historic event marked the dawn of the laser era, with lasting impact across science, education, sustainable development, and beyond.

Illuminating Ideas: A Workshop for the International Day of Light

Date: May 16, 2025
Time: 09:00 – 13:00
Location: Aula Magna, Building 6, Department of Physics and Astronomy "E. Majorana", University of Catania
Language: English.

This workshop, held in celebration of the International Day of Light 2025, will bring together a diverse audience of Master's students, PhD candidates, researchers, and professors whose work involves using light in different physics areas.

The event will be in English and feature prominent speakers from optics, photonics, particle physics, astronomy, biosensing, and quantum information—all domains where light plays a pivotal and interdisciplinary role.

We are honored to welcome Prof. Sylvain Gigan, a world-renowned scientist in optical physics, as our keynote speaker. Additional contributions will come from fellow researchers affiliated with our Department of Engineering, the Universities of Messina and Genoa, and the INFN Catania section.

The event aims to highlight the key and cross-disciplinary role of light, from optics and sensing technologies to astrophysics and particle analysis.

Join us to explore how light illuminates our understanding of the universe across many branches of science!!!

Workshop Programme

09:00 - 09:15 Introduction

09:15 - Sylvain Gigan (Sorbonne Université, Laboratoire Kastler-Brossel, Département de physique de l'École Normale Supérieure, CNRS – ENS – Collège de France, Paris, France)

Title: Sending light in opaque materials: Imaging and Beyond

10:15 - Maria Caterina Giordano (Department of Physics, University of Genoa, Italy)
Title: Steering light within 2D TMD semiconductor layers

10:35 - Santi Concetto Pavone (Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering (DIEEI), University of Catania, Italy)
Title: Limited-diffractive Bessel beams in the Fresnel region for applications at microwaves and mm-waves

11:00 -11:30 Coffee Break

11:30 - Emanuele Leonora (INFN – National Institute for Nuclear Physics, Catania Section, Italy)
Title: The KM3NeT project: a Cherenkov light detector in the Mediterranean Sea

11:45 - Antonio Alessio Leonardi (Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Italy)
Title: Label-free Biosensors Based on Light-Emitting Silicon Nanowires

12:05 - Alessandro Lanzafame (Department of Physics and Astronomy "E. Majorana", University of Catania, Italy, INAF – Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania, Italy)
Title: The electromagnetic spectrum of young stars in the Galaxy

12:30 - Luigi Giannelli (Department of Physics and Astronomy "E. Majorana", University of Catania, Italy, INFN – National Institute for Nuclear Physics, Catania Section, Italy)
Title: Storage and generation of single photons with intra-cavity atomic systems

13:00 Closure

Invited Speakers

Sylvain Gigan
Sorbonne Université, Laboratoire Kastler-Brossel, Département de physique de l'École Normale Supérieure, CNRS – ENS – Collège de France, Paris, France
Title: Sending light in opaque materials: Imaging and Beyond

Maria Caterina Giordano
Department of Physics, University of Genoa, Italy
Title: Steering light within 2D TMD semiconductor layers

Santi Concetto Pavone
Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering (DIEEI), University of Catania, Italy
Title: Limited-diffractive Bessel beams in the Fresnel region for applications at microwaves and mm-waves

Emanuele Leonora
INFN – National Institute for Nuclear Physics, Catania Section, Italy
Title: The KM3NeT project: a Cherenkov light detector in the Mediterranean Sea

Antonio Alessio Leonardi
Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Italy, CNR IMM - Messina Unit, Italy
Title: Label-free Biosensors Based on Light-Emitting Silicon Nanowires

Alessandro Lanzafame
Department of Physics and Astronomy "E. Majorana", University of Catania, Italy , INAF – Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania, Italy
Title: The electromagnetic spectrum of young stars in the Galaxy

Luigi Giannelli
Department of Physics and Astronomy "E. Majorana", University of Catania, Italy, INFN – National Institute for Nuclear Physics, Catania Section, Italy
Title: Storage and generation of single photons with intra-cavity atomic systems

Organizing Committee

Maria Josè Lo Faro
Department of Physics and Astronomy "E. Majorana", University of Catania, Italy

Alessia Tricomi

Department of Physics and Astronomy "E. Majorana", University of Catania, Italy

INFN – National Institute for Nuclear Physics, Catania Section, Italy

Centro Siciliano di Fisica Nucleare e Struttura della Materia CSFNSM, Italy

Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia "E. Majorana" UNICT

Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - Sezione di Catania

Centro Siciliano di Fisica Nucleare e Struttura della Materia