Hyderabad|India|June'2012: The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and the Centre for Theoretical Sciences (TCIS) will together organize the School on Plasmonics and nano-optics from 24-30 June 2012 at the TIFR campus. This will be followed by a three day ICTS Discussion meeting on emerging themes in Hotel Ella from 1-3 July 2012. Renowned scientists taking part in the School and meeting include Prof. G. S. Agarwal, Department of Physics, Oklahoma State University, USA; Prof. Olivier J.F. Martin, Nanophotonics and Metrology Laboratory, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology; Prof. Christina MacLaughlin, Department of Chemistry Lash Miller Laboratories, Toronto to name a few.

Plasmonics, with its proven role in sensing, surface-enhanced spectroscopy and energy transfer, is fast evolving into a vast field with much broader scope heralding unprecedented applications. Recent advances in nano fabrication techniques have opened up novel directions: nanoscale heat transfer and thermal imaging, single molecule spectroscopy, light-matter interaction at nano scales, sub-diffraction-limited quantum information processing, biomedical imaging and diagnostics, nano-antennas for LEDs, NSOM and near-field probes etc. Advances in graphene-plasmonics have opened up unforeseen possibilities. One is now moving closer to the dream notion of a lab-on-a-chip.

In recent years, India has set up many new research and teaching Institutions and many new scientific programs are being started. The School is aimed at young researchers intending to take up research in Nano-photonics and Plasmonics. The speakers in the School are international and national experts with significant contributions in their respective areas. Each session is being planned to have enough time for intensive interactions.

It is envisaged that the interactions at the meeting would identify the future trends and techniques required to address these new research directions. With the facilities and know-how available with various Indian groups, the purpose of the meeting is to bring them together and initiate interactions among them to start work in the emerging areas of plasmonics.

-June 2012