Dr. Nikita Toropov, BSc (hons), MSc (hons) in photonics and optical technologies; he graduated from Tomsk State University (Russia) and worked on PhD thesis at ITMO University, leading Russian university in photonics.

Dr. Nikita Toropov is an experimentalist specialised in photonics of micro- and nanostructures including plasmonic nanostructures, semiconductor quantum dots, optical microresonators, organic and biomolecules. He is actively involved in R&D projects related to optical sensors, all-optical delay lines, plasmonic nanolasers, photodetectors. He was awarded a number of prizes and personal research grants including Marie Curie Fellowship, Presidential grants, Fulbright grant, British Council grant, and several grants from industrial companies and foundations.

The main purpose Dr. Toropov’s project was developing the SNAP (Surface Nanoscale Axial Photonics) technological platform for a number of diverse applications like integrated photonic circuits, optical buffers, slow light devices, frequency combs, sensors, etc. This platform is based on controllable modifications of optical fibre surfaces and their refractive indexes to obtain high-Q microresonators. Fabrication precision of such photonic elements is crucial for applications and the main advantage of this platform; it potentially can be unprecedented, less than 1 angstrom. For the development of SNAP, it was proposed to investigate the processes of laser annealing of optical fibres as well as modification of the fibres under mechanical tensions and investigation of their photonic properties. The idea was extended to using chemical etching and femtosecond laser inscription of microdevices based on optical microresonators. As a result, a new universal lithographic approach for microresonators fabrication was developed; that allowed to demonstrate a dispersionless all-optical buffer with ~1 ns group delay.

Project Abstract

The ultimate goal of the Fellowship, project PICASSO, is to train a researcher with a strong academic background and achievements through a scientific Project focused on the reaching a picometre fabrication precision of multimode coupled resonator arrays with high-Q whispering gallery modes fabricated on surfaces of optical fibres (SNAP platform). This platform allows one to fabricate phase-matched high-Q bottle and more complicated profile resonator arrays, opening a lot of new opportunities in the field of all-dielectric photonics, where the progress was previously to a high degree restrained by the nanometre-precision of the existing fabrication techniques. The Fellow will be trained in these fast-growing fields of science and technology of fibre optics and nanophotonics, receiving access to a unique training experience at the host organisation – Aston Institute of Photonics Technologies, Aston University. This project will enable the Fellow to be a rare asset to European research in photonics; he will gain a set of multidisciplinary professional skills in both theoretical and experimental fields, starting from the SNAP microresonator arrays theoretical description in terms of quantum mechanics, design, fabrication, tuning and application, and finishing with the construction of optical delay lines, optical switching devices, nanomotion controllers, and sensors. PICASSO outputs will contribute to the enhancement of EU scientific excellence in photonics and sensing and will be relevant to the EU photonics industry offering new cost- and energy-efficient technologies in optical devices and absolutely new principles of high-sensitive detectors and controllable mechanics of nanoobjects.

More information about the project

  • Bochek, N. A. Toropov, Z. Han, I. Vatnik and M. Sumetsky, “Surface nanoscale axial photonics structures introduced by bending of optical fibers”, Proc.SPIE 10681, 10681 – 10681 – 6 (2018).
  • A. Razumova, N. A. Toropov, T. A. Vartanyan, and V. A. Polischuk, “Voltage controlled anisotropy of chemically synthesized silver nanorods ensembles intended for near IR applications “, in 2018 International Conference Laser Optics (ICLO) , (2018 ) , pp. 390-390
  • Bochek, N. A. Toropov, I. Vatnik, and M. Sumetsky, “SNAP Resonators Introduced by Bending of Optical Fibers “, in 2018 IEEE Photonics Conference (IPC) , (2018 ) , pp. 1-2
  • Qi Yu, Sajid Zaki, Yong Yang, Nikita Toropov, Xuewen Shu, and Misha Sumetsky, “Rectangular SNAP microresonator fabricated with a femtosecond laser,” Opt. Lett. 44, 5606-5609 (2019)
  • Yu, S. Zaki, Y. Yang, N. Toropov, X. Shu, and M. Sumetsky, “Miniature rectangular SNAP delay line fabricated with a femtosecond laser,” in Asia Communications and Photonics Conference (ACPC) 2019, OSA Technical Digest (Optical Society of America, 2019), paper M3F.5.
  • Manuel Crespo-Ballesteros, Yong Yang, N. Toropov, and Misha Sumetsky, “Four-port SNAP microresonator device,” Opt. Lett. 44, 3498-3501 (2019)
  • Daria Bochek, Nikita Toropov, Ilya Vatnik, Dmitry Churkin, and Misha Sumetsky, “SNAP microresonators introduced by strong bending of optical fibers,” Opt. Lett. 44, 3218-3221 (2019)
  • Toropov, S. Zaki, T. Vartanyan, and M. Sumetsky, “Whispering Gallery Resonators Introduced by Wet Chemical Etching at the Optical Fiber Surface,” in Frontiers in Optics / Laser Science, B. Lee, C. Mazzali, K. Corwin, and R. Jason Jones, eds., OSA Technical Digest (Optical Society of America, 2020), paper JM6B.10.
  • Nikita Toropov, Sajid Zaki, Tigran Vartanyan, and Misha Sumetsky, Microresonator devices lithographically introduced at the optical fiber surface, Opt. Lett. 2021 (submitted)

Feedback about the MULTIPLY Programme from the Researcher

“MULTIPLY for me was a unique programme which opened up many pathways for my career. It is an environment which provided both a sustainable basis for cutting-edge world-class research and lots of complimentary opportunities for self-development. I am very grateful to MULTIPLY’s experts, coordinators, management team, my co-workers and collaborators and especially to the scientist in charge, Professor Michael Sumetsky, for those two years of great joy.“