Camila Castillo, researcher from the Milenio Institute of Optics (MIRO)
The professional, also a masters student in science with a specialty in physics, recently took a three month internship at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, working with professor Mustapha Tlidi, an expert in the subject of patterns in vegetation and ecosystems, an area found in the study of systems out of balance, which the Chilean professional has been specialising in.
“I’m motivated by the idea that there are phenomena in nature we can discover, name and explain from what we know from before. It also motivates me that these discoveries might become part of all of us, for example, computers or mobile phones, which are technological applications of fundamental discoveries and now we have access to them,” said phycisist Camila Castillo, researcher from the Milenio Institute of Optics (MIRO).
The young woman is a lover of films and reading, besides writing in her free time. She also participates in a feminist reading group, “where there are also female scientists, so it’s a very enriching space. In order to stay in movement, I practice yoga which, despite being a bit demanding, it’s quite good for getting out of the daily routine.”
What are your objectives as a professional? What is your dream research or job?
I’m currently taking a Masters in Physics and my professional objectives are to continue specialising, taking a Doctor’s degree and later a Postdoctorate’s degree. Later, an interesting possibility might be entering academia, working as researcher and professor at any university.
Nevertheless, one of my dreams is to establish a research centre where only female scientists can participate. I have the feeling that it’s necessary that we start to make scientific community and culture among ourselves and from our experience as women. Starting from this, I think we can open new fields of research and generate knowledge and concepts completely innovative.
How and when did your interest in science and research begin?
I realised I liked science and research once I entered university. In fact, when I was at school I wasn’t sure about what I wanted to do and, as I was good at mathematics and physics, I decided to go for something related to these areas.
At university I knew that I liked studying, reading things and learning so much, regardless of the course I took. I decided to enter physics because I had the feeling that it was a course where I could remain studying interesting things and so it was. Then I officially began to do research and work experimentally, which I liked even more.
Milenio Institute
What are your fields of research at MIRO Milenio Institute?
Milenio Institute of Optics MIRO develops fundamental and applied research on light and its interaction with matter. It has four main lines of research: quantum light, optical communication, new light sources and photonic patterns. My research is framed into this context, and it’s particularly focused on the study of nonlinear wave propagation in liquid crystals stimulated by laser light.
How is the project that proposes a model that might control fire?
Actually, the model we are proposing is not exclusive for controlling fire, it’s a more general model that explains how a front (also known as nonlinear waves) is propagated in the experiment of liquid crystal and optical injection, where we study control mechanisms on the propagation speed in these fronts.
Nonetheless, as it’s a fundamental result for any system featuring fronts, it might be possible to extend the result of this research (developed in liquid crystals) to the model that explains flame propagation (which is a different model, but with some similarities).
Could we predict how waves behave in space and control the power of fire?
Effectively, the model we propose allows to predict theoretically some behaviours of fronts when they propagate on the experiment with liquid crystals, when they’re being externally forced and when not. In this sense, I think we could use the same external forcing mechanism which might control the speed of fire, testing this theory in a controlled way at a laboratory.
What is the contribution of research to knowledge in this subject?
This discovery has a huge impact in terms of achieving the control, but also, the reduction of the propagation speed of a front. In literature there are investigation that develop theoretical mechanisms which might help control the speed of fronts, nonetheless, there is little experimental observation. On the other side, no experimental or theoretical mechanisms have been discovered in order to help reduce propagation speed. In this work we give an experimental observation and also a theoretic model that describes it very well and allows us to predict other things about the modification of speed.