when the size of the beam decreases. She has since shown that it is possible to measure a vortex laser's orbital angular momentum modes using a tunable micro-transceiver chip-based detector, offering hope that such systems could be used for fast data transmission. The detector makes use of a photodetector that is responsive to orbital angular momentum modes. Topological photonics looks to navigate light around tight corners using tiny waveguides that eliminate the scattering of light. To achieve this, Litchinitser designed crystal lattices with carefully controlled geometries, which allow light to travel perfectly across their surfaces but block it from travelling through the interior. The ability for light to travel around corners is essential for photonic-based microchips, which will be essential for future data transmission. Litchinitser delivered a plenary lecture at the 2018 SPIE Optics and Photonics conference, where she discussed the interaction of structured light and nanostructured media. At the 2020 SPIE Optics and Photonics conference Litchinitser chaired the session on Nanoscience and Engineering. Awards and honours 2011 Elected Fellow of The Optical Society 2014 Elected Fellow of the American Physical Society Select publications References Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Illinois Institute of Technology alumni Moscow State University alumni University of Michigan faculty Duke University faculty Women physicists Fellows of the American Physical Society Fellow Members of the IEEE