Federico Capasso

Federico Capasso is the Robert Wallace Professor of Applied Physics at Harvard University, where he has been a faculty member since 2003. He is renowned for inventing the quantum cascade laser at Bell Laboratories and pioneering bandstructure engineering in semiconductor devices. His research spans plasmonics, metasurfaces, nanophotonics, and Casimir forces, with applications in light sources, optical antennas, and MEMS technology.

• PhD in Physics, summa cum laude, University of Rome (1973)
• Leadership roles at Bell Labs: Head of multiple departments (1987–2000), Vice President (2000–2002)

Research Interests: Quantum electronics, terahertz radiation generation, plasmonic interfaces, and flat optics. His group at Harvard demonstrated optical antennas, plasmonic collimators, and generalized laws of reflection/refraction via metasurfaces.

Article Trends: Recent work focuses on metasurface optimization, integrated solitons, optical rotatum, and active mid-infrared ring resonators, reflecting advancements in flat optics and quantum electronics.

Scientific Awards:

• 2016 Balzan Prize
• 2013 SPIE Gold Medal
• 2005 King Faisal Prize
• 2004 Edison Medal
• 1995–1998: National Academy memberships and fellowships

Labs/Teams: Leads the Capasso Group at Harvard, which co-founded the startup Metalenz for metasurface commercialization.