לוח שנה משולב

Controlling the interaction of light and matter is the basis for diverse applications ranging from light technology to quantum information processing. Nowadays, many of these applications are based on nanophotonic structures. It turns out that the confinement of light in such nanostructures imposes an inherent link between its local polarization and its propagation direction, also referred to as spin–momentum locking of light [1]. Remarkably, this leads to chiral, i.e., propagation direction-dependent effects in the emission and absorption of light, and elementary processes of light–matter interaction are fundamentally altered. For example, when coupling plasmonic particles or atoms to evanescent fields, the intrinsic mirror symmetry of the particles’ emission can be broken. In our group, we observed this effect in the interaction between single rubidium atoms and the evanescent part of a light field that is confined by continuous total internal reflection in a whispering-gallery-mode microresonator [2]. In the following, this allowed us to realize chiral nanophotonic interfaces in which the emission direction of light into the structure is controlled by the polarization of the excitation light [3] or by the internal quantum state of the emitter [4], respectively. Moreover, we employed this chiral interaction to demonstrate an integrated optical isolator [5] as well as an integrated optical circulator [6] which operate at the single-photon level and which exhibit low loss. The latter are the first two examples of a new class of nonreciprocal nanophotonic devices which exploit the chiral interaction between single quantum emitters and transversally confined photons.

References
1 K. Y. Bliokh, F. J. Rodríguez-Fortuño, F. Nori, and A. V. Zayats, Spin-orbit interactions of light, Nat. Photon. 9, 796 (2015).
[2] C. Junge, D. O'Shea, J. Volz, and A. Rauschenbeutel, Strong coupling between single atoms and non-transversal photons, Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 213604 (2013).
[3] J. Petersen, J. Volz, and A. Rauschenbeutel, Chiral nanophotonic waveguide interface based on spin-orbit coupling of light, Science 346, 67 (2014).
[4] R. Mitsch, C. Sayrin, B. Albrecht, P. Schneeweiss, and A. Rauschenbeutel, Quantum state-controlled directional spontaneous emission of photons into a nanophotonic waveguide, Nature Commun. 5, 5713 (2014).
[5] C. Sayrin, C. Junge, R. Mitsch, B. Albrecht, D. O'Shea, P. Schneeweiss, J. Volz, and A. Rauschenbeutel, Nanophotonic Optical Isolator Controlled by the Internal State of Cold Atoms, Phys. Rev. X 5, 041036 (2015).
[6] M. Scheucher, A. Hilico, E. Will, J. Volz, and A. Rauschenbeutel, Quantum optical circulator controlled by a single chirally coupled atom, Science 354, 1577 (2016).

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a heterogeneous condition characterized by deficits in social interactions and repetitive behaviors/restricted interests. Mouse models based on human disease-causing mutations provide the potential for understanding associated neuropathology and developing targeted treatments. Genetic, neurobiological and imaging data provide convergent evidence for the CNTNAP2 gene as a risk factor for autism and other developmental disorders. First, I will present data from my postdoctoral work demonstrating construct, face and predictive validity of a mouse knockout for the Cntnap2 gene, providing a tool for mechanistic and therapeutic research. In fact, through an in vivo drug screen in this model we found that administration of the neuropeptide oxytocin dramatically improves social deficits. Strikingly, reduced neuropeptide levels in this model seemed to account for the behavioral response. Last, I will present ongoing work in my lab evaluating the oxytocin system and related neurotransmitters in this model. Alterations in the oxytocin system and/or dysfunction in its related biological processes could potentially be more common in autism than previously anticipated.

Validation of hypotheses is an essential part of the scientific process. To validate novel biological targets, a range of powerful biological approaches have emerged and are being leveraged (eg CRISPR, siRNA, antisense, antibodies, etc). In addition to these biological approaches, small molecule “chemical probes” have proven to be an extremely valuable orthogonal approach for validation. Also, successful generation of a small molecule chemical probe increases the confidence that a target is druggable, and can enable demonstration of therapeutically useful effects in animal models and ultimately humans. Of note to this audience is that the majority of new biological targets that led to novel medicines were discovered in academia.
The G-INCPM at the Weizmann has established a drug discovery unit which can screen large collections of small molecules against novel biological targets or phenotypes in whole cells. A medicinal chemistry capability has recently been added to the Institute with the goal of increasing the value that will be derived from these ongoing screening efforts. The newly formed Medicinal Chemistry Unit is working closely with Biologists (at the Weizmann and other Institutes in Israel), and the High Throughput Screening Unit to interpret the output from screens, triage the output, and then optimize the most attractive hit matter. This lecture will present a definition of a “chemical probe” and our rationale for generating chemical probes. We will also discuss some of the common pitfalls in following up HTS hits, and the approaches being utilized to generate quality probes from screening campaigns.