An updated copy of my Curriculum is found [here].

For the publication list please click [here]

Major achievements

2008-2009

  • Design of an interferometric beam combiner based on discrete diffraction for astronomical applications.
  • Development of the prototype of an actively stabilized fiber interferometer designed for the internal metrology of the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI)
  • First observation of 3D discrete-continuous light bullets.
  • First observation of 3D discrete-continuous X-waves.

2007

  • High-resolution spatio-temporal characterization of plasma excitation in femtosecond laser pulse filamentation.

2006

  • Development of high resolution, phase sensitive, spatio-temporal optical diagnostic.

2003-2004

  • Discovery of quantum-noise-induced temporal modulational instability of quadratic spatial solitons.

2002

  • Development of spatio-temporal imaging techniques for femtosecond optical pulses.

1999

  • First observation of quadratic vortex solitons

Selected publications on peer review journals

  1. P. Di Trapani, A. Berzanskis, S. Minardi, S. Sapone, W. Chinaglia, “Observation of optical vortices and J0 Bessel-like beams in quantum-noise parametric amplification”, Phys.Rev.Lett. 81, 5133-5536 (1998).
  2. S. Minardi, S. Sapone, W. Chinaglia, P. Di Trapani, A. Berzanskis, “A pixel-like generator based on controlled spatial soliton formation”, Opt.Lett. 25, 326-328 (2000).
  3. P. Di Trapani, W. Chinaglia, S. Minardi, A. Piskarskas, G. Valiulis “Observation of quadratic optical vortex solitons”, Phys.Rev.Lett. 84, 3843-3846 (2000).
  4. S. Minardi, G. Molina-Terriza, P. Di Trapani, J.P. Torres and L. Torner, “Soliton algebra by vortex-beam splitting” Opt.Lett. 26, 1004-1006 (2001).
  5. A. Bramati, W. Chinaglia, S. Minardi, and P. Di Trapani, “Reconstruction of blurred images by controlled formation of spatial solitons”, Opt.Lett. 26, 1409-1411 (2001).
  6. P. Di Trapani, A. Bramati, S. Minardi, W. Chinaglia, C. Conti, S. Trillo, J. Kilius, and G. Valiulis, “Focusing versus defocusing nonlinearities in self-trapping due to parametric wave mixing”, Phys.Rev.Lett. 87, 183902 (2001).
  7. S. Minardi, G. Arrighi, P. Di Trapani, A. Varanavicius, and A. Piskarskas “A solitonic all-optical switch based on the fractional Talbot effect” Opt. Lett. 27, 2097-2099 (2002).
  8. S. Minardi, G. Blasi, P. Di Trapani, G.Valiulis, A. Varanavicius, A. Berzanskis, A. Piskarskas “Red solitons: evidence of spatio-temporal instability in chi(2) spatial-soliton dynamics” Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 123901 (2003).
  9. D. Salerno, S. Minardi, J. Trull, A. Varanavicius, G. Tamosauskas, G. Valiulis, A. Dubietis, D. Caironi, S. Trillo, A. Piskarskas, P. Di Trapani “Spatial versus temporal deterministic wave breakup of nonlinearly coupled light waves” Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 143905 (2003).
  10. S. Minardi, A. Varanavicius, P. Di Trapani, A. Piskarskas “A compact, multipixel parametric light source” Opt.Comm. 224, 301 (2003).
  11. M.A.C. Potenza, S. Minardi, J. Trull, G. Blasi, D. Salerno, A. Varanavicius, A. Piskarskas, P. Di Trapani ‘Three dimensional imaging of short pulses” Opt. Comm. 229, 381 (2004).
  12. S. D. Jenkins, D. Salerno, S. Minardi, G. Tamosauskas, T.A.B. Kennedy and P. Di Trapani “Quantum noise initiated symmetry breaking of spatial solitons” Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 203902 (2005).
  13. A. Gopal, S. Minardi, M. Tatarakis “Quantitative two-dimensional shadowgraphic set-up for high-sensitivity measurement of low-density laser-plasmas” Opt.Lett. 32, 1238-1240 (2007).
  14. S. Minardi, A. Gopal, M. Tatarakis, A. Couairon, G. Tamosauskas, R. Piskarskas, A. Dubietis, P. Di Trapani “Time-resolved refractive index and absorption mapping of light-plasma filaments in water” Opt. Lett. 33, 86-88 (2008).
  15. P.M. Nilson, L. Willingale, M.C. Kaluza, C. Kamperidis, S. Minardi, M.S. Wei, P. Fernandes, M. Notley, S. Bandyopadhyay, M. Sherlock, R.J. Kingham, M. Tatarakis, Z. Najmudin, W. Rozmus, R.G. Evans, M.G. Haines, A.E. Dangor, and K. Krushelnick “Bidirectional jet formation during driven magnetic reconnection in two-beam laser-plasma interactions” Phys. of Plasmas 15, 092701 (2008)
  16. D. Pliakis, S. Minardi “Phase front retrieval by means of an iterative shadowgraphic method” JOSA A 26, 99 (2009).
  17. S. Minardi, J. Trull, M.A.C. Potenza “Holographic properties of parametric conversion for spatiotemporal imaging of ultrashort pulses” Journal of Holography and Speckles 6, 53 (2009).
  18. S. Minardi, A. Chipouline, S. Krämer, T. Pertsch, R. Follert, B. Stecklum, and R. Neuhäuser “An active fiber sensor for mirror vibration metrology in astronomical interferometers” Astron. Nachr. 330, 518 (2009).
  19. M. Heinrich, A. Szameit, F. Dreisow, R. Keil, S. Minardi, T. Pertsch, S. Nolte, A. Tünnermann “Observation of three-dimensional discrete-continuous X waves in photonic lattices” Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 113903 (2009).
  20. S. Minardi, A. Gopal, A. Couairon, G. Tamosauskas, R. Piskarskas, A. Dubietis, P. Di Trapani “Accurate retrieval of pulse splitting dynamics of a femtosecond filament in water by time-resolved shadowgraphy” Opt. Lett. 34, 3020 (2009).
  21. S. Minardi, T. Pertsch “Interferometric beam combination with discrete optics” Opt. Lett. 35, 3009 (2010).


Book Chapters

  1. S. Minardi, M.A.C. Potenza, J. Trull “Intensity mapping of three-dimensional optical wave-packets: holographic properties and applications” in “Focus on Lasers and Electro-Optics Research” Ed. T. Arkin, Nova Science Publishing, 2006

Selected conference proceedings

  1. A. Gopal, S. Minardi, C. Petridis, M. Tatarakis “Direct Comparison of quantitative shadowgraphy with interferometry for plasma density measurements” PPPS-ICOPS 2007 – 17-22 June 2007 – Albuquerque, New Mexico (USA).
  2. S. Minardi, T. Pertsch, R. Neuhauser “Three dimensional photonic combiner for astrointerferometry” SPIE Conference on Astronomical Instrumentation 2010, San Jose, California (US) paper 7734-136.
  3. I. Spaleniak, F. Giessler, R. Geiss, S. Minardi, T. Pertsch, R. Neuhäuser, M. Becker, M. Rothhardt, F. Delplancke, A. Richichi, S. Ménardi, C. Schmid “MAMMUT: Mirror vibration metrology for VLTI” SPIE Conference on Astronomical Instrumentation 2010, San Jose, California (US), paper 7734-145.
  4. J.R. Allington-Smith, T. A. Birks, J. Bland-Hawthron, C. R. Cunningham, S. Dagupta, R. Haynes, P. J. V. Garcia, A. K. Kar, A. Kelz, P. Y. Kern, L. Labadie, J. S. Lawrence, E. P. Le Coaer, M.M. Roth, S. Minardi, R. M. Sharples, R. R. Thomson “Defining requirements and identifying relevant technologies in astrophotonics”,SPIE Conference on Astronomical Instrumentation 2010, San Jose, California (US), paper 7739-45.