Conveners
Photonics: Quantum photonics
- Angela Dudley
Photonics: Structured light & computational optics
- Tjaart Krüger (University of Pretoria)
Photonics: Biophotonics & optical biosensing
- Christine Margarete Steenkamp (Stellenbosch University, Physics Department)
Photonics: Microscopy & imaging
- Saturnin Ombinda-Lemboumba (CSIR)
Photonics: Microscopy, applied & fibres
- Gurthwin Bosman (Stellenbosch University)
Photonics: Photonics Division Meeting
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Photonics
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Photonics
- There are no conveners in this block
Photonics
- There are no conveners in this block
Photonics
- There are no conveners in this block
Photonics
- There are no conveners in this block
Photonics
- There are no conveners in this block
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Ms Noxolo Felicia Vilakazi (University of Pécs)07/07/2026, 09:30Track C - PhotonicsOral Presentation
Single-photon sources (SPSs) based on spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) are inherently probabilistic, producing a usable photon with a probability of about $0.25$. This is too low for scalable quantum technologies, especially when optical losses and detector inefficiencies are included. Spatial multiplexing offers a solution by combining many identical heralded sources in parallel....
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Patrick Kinsey (University of Pretoria)07/07/2026, 09:50Track C - PhotonicsOral Presentation
Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy is a promising technology which can enable the real-time, label-free analysis of biomolecular interactions with high sensitivity. In plant pathology and agriculture, SPR measurements will allow the rapid identification of biomarkers related to disease or stress and can significantly improve the outcomes for plant health and crop yields by allowing...
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Dr Ram Nandan Kumar (University of the Witwatersrand)07/07/2026, 11:00Track C - PhotonicsOral Presentation
Optical topologies in the form of Skyrmions have predominantly been generated using integer orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes, resulting in integer-valued topological numbers that remain invariant and robust during propagation through complex media. Here, we demonstrate the first realization of fractional Skyrmions by structuring light as a vectorial superposition of non-integer OAM modes....
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Kelsey Everts (University of the Witwatersrand)07/07/2026, 11:20Track C - PhotonicsOral Presentation
Structuring light’s space, time and polarization within a single pulse has only recently become feasible, enabling the generation of complex spatiotemporal vector beams (STVBs) ideal for high-density information transport. Unfortunately, all current STVB generation methods rely on bulky, complex 4f pulse shapers prohibiting on-chip applications. Here we theoretically propose and experimentally...
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Nikisha Baboolal (University of the Witwatersrand)07/07/2026, 11:40Track C - PhotonicsOral Presentation
The field generated by three-wave mixing in a second-order nonlinear crystal, under suitable approximations, can be described by the product of the two input fields. By controlling the amplitude and phase of the input fields, a single nonlinear crystal can be used to perform many different transformations on the generated field. Here we use difference frequency generation, an effect of...
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Nikita Azevedo07/07/2026, 12:00Track C - PhotonicsOral Presentation
Artificial neural networks are well suited tools for solving complex, multi-parameter problems and have been realized using light, termed optical neural networks (ONNs) or deep diffractive neural networks (D2NN). Their conception has been motivated by the decreased energy demands of optical systems, where nature itself is able to take on some of the computational burden. These systems have...
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Dr Masixole Yvonne Lugongolo (CSIR)07/07/2026, 14:40Track C - PhotonicsOral Presentation
Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) offers a highly sensitive and label‑free optical technique for monitoring biomolecular interactions by detecting changes in the refractive‑index at the metal–dielectric interface. In this study, we investigated the application of custom-built SPR for the direct detection of HIV through the virus’s envelope antigen gp120 in complex clinical samples. To achieve...
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sipho Chauke (Council for Scientific and Industrial research (CSIR))07/07/2026, 15:00Track C - PhotonicsOral Presentation
Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is an optical phenomenon arising from the excitation of collective electron oscillations (surface plasmons) at a metal-dielectric interface, typically induced by p-polarized light under conditions of total internal reflection. The resonance condition, defined by the resonance angle (θres), is highly sensitive to variations in the local refractive index near the...
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Dr Lebogang Thobakgale (CSIR Biophotonics Photonics Centre Council for Scientific and Industrial Research)07/07/2026, 15:40Track C - PhotonicsOral Presentation
Substandard and falsified (SF) medications pose a growing public health and regulatory challenge in South Africa, with serious implications for patient safety and healthcare systems. Continuous development of rapid screening methods is essential to detect SF products effectively. This study evaluates the stability of aspirin tablets using Raman spectroscopy combined with partial least squares...
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Eugene Fouche (Stellenbosch University)08/07/2026, 09:30Track C - PhotonicsOral Presentation
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an interferometric imaging technique used to image samples such as the human eye in 2 or 3 dimensions, with micrometer resolution and millimeter penetration depths. A broad bandwidth pulsed laser is scanned across the sample, and for each laser beam position a depth profile of the sample is obtained. These depth scans are stitched together to create a 2D...
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Calvin Groenewald (Stellenbosch University)08/07/2026, 09:50Track C - PhotonicsOral Presentation
Quantitative Phase Imaging (QPI) enables non-invasive, label-free measurement of optical path length variations within transparent samples, facilitating three-dimensional reconstruction of sample structure and dynamics from two-dimensional microscopy images.
Building on our earlier development and demonstration of Single-Shot Optical Quadrature Microscopy (SSOQM), a polarization-based...
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Le Roi Du Plessis (Stellenbosch University)08/07/2026, 10:10Track C - PhotonicsOral Presentation
Optical tweezers have long been used as a tool for manipulating micro- and nanoscale objects, with applications in biological systems and modelling colloidal crystal structures. Recently, optical tweezers have been incorporated into microfluidic chips for isolating single cells and force measurements. In this talk, we present a single-cell monitoring platform which uses holographic optical...
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Jacques Buÿs (Stellenbosch University)08/07/2026, 11:00Track C - PhotonicsOral Presentation
Light-sheet fluorescence microscopy provides rapid volumetric imaging of biological specimens with reduced photodamage by confining excitation to a thin optical plane. Combined with two-photon excitation fluorescence (2PEF), it enables deeper imaging with reduced background, making it well-suited to scattering samples.
Past nonlinear light-sheet implementations are limited by non-uniform...
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Jessica Wells, Jessica Wells08/07/2026, 11:20Track C - PhotonicsOral Presentation
The real-time tracking of single particles is a vastly under-developed experimental technique but it offers great potential in understanding molecular dynamics. A suitable tracking system comprises three key components, viz., a position sensor, a control system, and an output actuator. The position sensor enables accurate prediction of the particle location. For this component, various...
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443. Interferometric Optical Fibre Based Non-destructive Evaluation of Concrete Compressive StrengthMr Sandisiwe Bangani (Nelson Mandela University)08/07/2026, 11:40Track C - PhotonicsOral Presentation
The evolution of mechanical strength in concrete during curing is a vital aspect in assessing structural integrity and quality control of concrete. A Mach-Zehnder Interferometric (MZI) technique was employed for the non-destructive assessment of compressive strength development in unreinforced concrete beams. Low- and high-strength concrete beams and cubes were cast, with a single-mode fibre...
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Lilian Mutia (Nelson Mandela University)08/07/2026, 12:00Track C - PhotonicsOral Presentation
The increasing demand for high-capacity, low latency 5G fronthaul networks has intensified interest in Radio-over-Fibre (RoF) architectures. This works presents an end-to-end simulation of a subcarrier-multiplexed (SCM) intermediate-frequency-over-fibre (IFoF) system. Three subcarriers at 1, 3, and 5 GHz are amplitude modulated and upconverted using a 10 GHz intermediate frequency generated...
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Wagner Tavares Buono (University of the Witwatersrand)08/07/2026, 14:50Track A - Physics of Condensed Matter and MaterialsOral Presentation
We demonstrate that post-deposition annealing provides an effective route to spectrally engineer the nonlinear optical response of indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films, with a pronounced enhancement at technologically relevant telecommunication wavelengths. Annealing-induced modifications to the epsilon‑near‑zero (ENZ) wavelength enable controlled spectral shifting of the material’s nonlinear...
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08/07/2026, 15:10