PHYS/ASTR Colloquium: "Let There Be light - Materials studies using linear optics that exploits various symmetries" - Prof. Xiangdong Zhu (UC Davis)

San Francisco State University
Physics & Astronomy Colloquium Series
Monday, May 11, 2026
SEIC 210, 3:30 PM

Speaker: Prof. Xiangdong Zhu (UC Davis)

Let There Be light - Materials studies using linear optics that exploits various symmetries

When light is incident on a solid material, its electromagnetic fields drive electrons in the material so that the charge density changes accordingly. Those changes that vary linearly with the fields are linear optical responses. The re-radiation from these responses can be used to characterize the solid material in question. Most linear optical responses only cause small perturbations to light reflection and transmission, yet they reveal most interesting properties of the material. I will show how effects from these perturbative linear responses on optical reflection can be obtained using a simple perturbation treatment. And by taking advantage of symmetry properties that distinguish one material from another or one phase of a material from another phase of the same material, we can learn a great deal about materials using linear optical techniques.