Plasma - colloquially referred to as the ‘4th state of matter’ - exhibits many interesting phenomena due to the diverse range of physics that govern its behavior, including electromagnetics, fluid mechanics, and even quantum mechanics. In this talk, I will focus on the unique interactions between plasma and electromagnetic waves, and how we can leverage them along with inverse design methods to manipulate the propagation of light in interesting ways. Autograd-compliant finite difference frequency domain (FDFD) simulations are used to design waveguides, demultiplexers, and all-optical logic gates. Demultiplexing and waveguiding are demonstrated for devices composed of realistic plasma elements, allowing for future in-situ training and experimental realization of these designs.
