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Professor

Photo of Associate Professor Harald Schwefel.

Locations
Lab 425
Room 414
Phone numbers
7754 (Office)
64 3 479 7754 (Office Direct Dial)
4600 (Lab)
Email
harald.schwefel@otago.ac.nz
Research Group
https://www.physics.otago.ac.nz/research/resonantoptics/

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Biography

I began my physics training in Germany at the Brandenburg Technical University in Cottbus. In 1998 I began graduate study at Yale University, USA where I received my PhD in theoretical physics in 2004 on the topic of chaotic dielectric resonators. Following a short stay in Japan, I established myself as an experimental physicist and later group leader at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light in Germany. In September 2015 I joined the Department of Physics at the University of Otago and have reestablished my laboratory there.

My research is centered on the interaction of light and matter in dielectric materials and in particular in resonantly enhanced interactions. Currently I am active in the field of nonlinear optics where I am particularly interested in optical frequency conversion. To achieve the required high field strengths I work with ultra high quality optical resonators, which I fabricate out of crystalline materials. My current focus is on enabling the nonlinear interaction of widely spaced frequency bands that usually do not interact, such as the microwave and the visible domain of the electromagnetic radiation.

Publications

Suresh, M., Sedlmeir, F., Vogt, D., & Schwefel, H. (2025). Resonant electro-optic upconversion for next-generation photonic radiometers. In V. S. Ilchenko, A. M. Armani, J. V. Sheldakova, A. V. Kudryashov & A. B. Matsko (Eds.), Proceedings of SPIE (Vol. PC13349): Laser Resonators, Microresonators and Beam Control XXVII. PC133490H. SPIE. doi: 10.1117/12.3047467 Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Suresh, M. I., Sedlmeir, F., Vogt, D. W., Santamaría Botello, G., Strekalov, D. V., & Schwefel, H. G. L. (2025). Multichannel upconversion of terahertz radiation in an optical disk resonator. Optics Express, 33(5), 10302-10311. doi: 10.1364/OE.557651 Journal - Research Article

Suresh, M. I., Sedlmeir, F., Vogt, D. W., & Schwefel, H. G. L. (2024). Multichannel upconversion of THz radiation in an optical microresonator. Proceedings of the 49th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter, and Terahertz Waves (IRMMW-THz). IEEE. doi: 10.1109/IRMMW-THz60956.2024.10697900 Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Urban, L., Santure, A. W., Uddstrom, L., Digby, A., Vercoe, D., Eason, D., … Kākāpō Recovery Team, including Thompson, T., Weinzweig, N., Whittaker, M., and also Wylie, M. J., … Le Lec, M. F., Guhlin, J., … Alexander, A., Fuentes-Cross, P., Dearden, P. K., Gemmell, N. J., Azeem, F., Weyland, M., Schwefel, H. G. L., … Morales, H. E. (2024). The genetic basis of the kākāpō structural color polymorphism suggests balancing selection by an extinct apex predator. PLoS Biology, 22(9), e3002755. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002755 Journal - Research Other

Kessenich, H., Suresh, M. I., Platt, L., Vogt, D. W., Sedlmeir, F., Schwefel, H. G. L., & Seppala, A. (2023). Photonic radiometers for next-generation stratospheric ozone detection. Proceedings of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting: Wide. Open. Science. A41I-2732. Retrieved from https://www.agu.org Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

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