The strong coupling of optical absorbers (e.g., molecules or semiconductors) to confined photonic modes fundamentally alters the physical properties coupled system via formation hybrid light-matter states. One potential application relies on exploiting it localize light-induced charge excitation processes small volumes material. Applications that would benefit from this localization include thi...

Understanding the light-quark dynamics at all scales is a fundamental and open problem, in high-energy physics. In particular, the improving our knowledge of the non-perturbative interaction at intermediate and short distances has become essential, in order to explain the results of recent experiments on pion and proton electro-magnetic formfactors, performed at Jefferson Laboratory . Indeed, t...

Closed string tachyons have long been somewhat mysterious. We note that there is often a regime in the classical moduli space in which one can systematically compute the effective action for such fields. In this regime, the tachyon is light, and cannot be integrated out. Instead, one must consider the combined dynamics of gravitons, moduli, tachyons and other light fields. We compute the action...

Extrinsic or pseudo-chiral (meta)surfaces have an achiral structure, yet they can give rise to circular dichroism when the experiment itself becomes chiral. Although these surfaces are known to yield differences in reflected and transmitted circularly polarized light, the exact mechanism of the interaction has never been directly demonstrated. Here we present a comprehensive linear and nonlinea...

Recent progress in the formulation of chiral fermions on the lattice makes it possible to approach the regime of the physical light quark masses. However, lattice volumes V = L needed to ensure negligible finite size effects are prohibitively large for such light quarks. Only when L is very large compared to the Compton wavelength of the lightest particles of the theory (i.e. the pions) are the...

Single photon nonlinearities based on a semiconductor quantum dot in an optical microcavity are a promising candidate for integrated optical quantum information processing nodes. In practice, however, the finite quantum dot lifetime and cavity-quantum dot coupling lead to reduced fidelity. Here we show that, with a nearly polarization degenerate microcavity in the weak coupling regime, polariza...

The problem of slowing down light by orders of magnitude has been extensively discussed in the literature. Such a possibility can be useful in a variety of optical and microwave applications. Many qualitatively different approaches have been explored. Here we discuss how this goal can be achieved in linear dispersive media, such as photonic crystals. The existence of slowly propagating electrom...