Federico Capasso: Designer-Physicist

In Episode 1 of Seminal Works, News Editor Julia Germaine interviews Federico Capasso of Harvard University’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Born and educated in Rome, the eminent “designer-physicist” describes the naissance of his prolific career, and how colleagues and institutional support systems have enabled him to cross the bridge between theoretical physics and the creation of useful technology. Hear how Capasso’s intellectual curiosity has enabled such breakthroughs as measurement of the Casimir effect, the creation of the quantum cascade laser and, most recently, a planar metalens designed to replace glass optics.