OSA becomes Optica, a global society for advancing light science

OSA, which was once known as Optical Society of America, has changed its name to Optica, the society advancing optics and photonics worldwide.  

Optica says its new name reinforces the society’s position as the leading forum for advancing light science and technology. It also reflects its diverse global community.

Elizabeth Rogan, Optica’s CEO, said: “Our new name was developed in collaboration and consultation with our community.  We knew it was critical to choose a name representing who we have become and possessing a strong strategic fit for our next chapter.  Optica works on so many levels – it’s already a well-known name due to our highly-regarded journal, it’s geographically neutral, and it translates well in many languages.”

Optica was founded in 1916 to promote the generation, dissemination and application of knowledge in optics or light science. It now encompasses a community that is 432,000+ large, representing 93% of the world’s countries.  

Optica President Connie Chang-Hasnain said: “When the organization began more than 100 years ago, it was primarily focused on supporting a small group of members and companies in America who were working on technologies like lens design and photography.  Today the optics and photonics industry has grown exponentially.  The field has evolved and now includes metamaterials, ultrafast laser science, quantum technology, 5G networks, and many other technologies.  As a champion of the field, our organization’s name must reflect the work being undertaken and the people performing the work.  Now is the time for our name to change to one that honours our legacy, is true to our present and embraces our future.”

https://www.osa.org/en-us/home/

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OSA to host 5G Summit - 13 – 14 July,

The Optical Society (OSA) will host amd all virtual 5G Summit on July 13-14 to discuss optical access, aggregation networks, edge computing and the 5G ecosystem.

“Expanding upon the inaugural 2019 OSA 5G Summit, this year’s program will engage attendees with the developments critical to performance targets for 5G systems,” said co-chair Jörg-Peter Elbers, SVP Advanced Technology, Standards & IPR at ADVA, Germany.

Distinguished speakers will discuss technologies that are increasing network speeds, expanding interactivity on the network and more. The following companies will be represented: ADVA, China Mobile, Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, ETSI-F5G, Futurewei, Lumentum, MobileEdgeX, NTT, NTT Docomo, Orange Labs, Rakuten Mobile, Telecom Italia, Qualcomm, VaporIO, Verizon and II-VI.

“Advancements in 5G networks are crucial to the photonics and fiber optics industry,” said co-chair Xiang Liu, VP Optical Transport and Access, Futurewei Technologies, US. “The 5G Summit is pivotal to information sharing among our global mobile and optical network community.”

Panel discussion topics include:

• 5G Vision, Use Cases & Deployment Status
• 5G Technologies, Open RAN & Edge Computing
• The 5th Generation Fixed Network (F5G), New Use Cases & Enabling Technologies
• Optical Transceivers and Photonic Devices for 5G

https://www.osa.org/en-us/meetings/member_events/osa_5g_summit/registration/

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3rd Virtual OIDA Technology Showcase slated for 27 – 29 April 2021

Innovators will demonstrate state-of-the-art products advancing the field of optics and photonics during the 3rd Virtual OSA Industry Development Associates (OIDA) Technology Showcase, 27 – 29 April 2021. The three-day program will feature 27 companies in a format comprised of five technology themes – Fiber Optics and Communications, Instrumentation and Metrology, Lasers, Precision Optics and Components and Services.

Industry experts will describe unique applications with compact ultrafast fiber lasers, customizable field optical connectors, space optics and photonics technology for planetary exploration, quantum information processing and more. Participating companies, OIDA members, will present their products to a global audience and engage with attendees in virtual networking rooms for demos and Q&A discussion. Event registration is free and open to the public.

“The OIDA technology showcase has proven to be an effective platform for companies to engage with customers and prospects in a virtual environment,” said Simin Cai, OIDA Council Chair and President and CEO, Go!Foton, USA. “The networking opportunities enable them to present their unique products to a global audience and establish new connections. With new technologies entering the marketplace, it is important for companies and attendees to exchange information on products and industry trends.”

The 27 participating companies include Toptica Photonics, G&H, Thorlabs, Hitachi High-Tech, Santec, Menlo Systems, Schott, EXFO and LIGENTEC. Each company will exhibit technologies and products in a live 15-minute presentation. Registrants will have access to the online content and product profiles before and after the event.

More info is here: https://www.osa.org/en-us/meetings/industry_events/oida_technology_showcase_2021_march/

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OSA Biophotonics Congress: Optics in the Life Sciences, 12 – 16 April

The OSA will host an all-virtual OSABiophotonics Congress: Optics in the Life Sciences, from 12 – 16 April 2021. The conference will feature three dynamic plenary talks highlighting advancements in biomedical research spanning molecular and cellular investigations to clinical applications. Conference attendees will explore the latest techniques in using optical tools for the diagnosis and treatment of disease.

In her talk titled “Alternative Strategies for 3D Single Molecule Localization Microscopy,” plenary speaker Sandrine Lévêque-Fort, CNRS Researcher Director at the Institute of Molecular Science, Paris Saclay University, France, will explore recent developments of 3D imaging in Single Molecule Localization Microscopy. Lévêque-Fort’s current work focuses on varying strategies to improve spatial and temporal resolution for fluorescence microscopy. Lévêque-Fort’s plenary talk is scheduled for 13 April 2021 at 13:00 UTC. Use this link to convert the session to your local time zone.    

Dan Oron, Professor, Department of Molecular Chemistry and Materials Science, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, will discuss “Quantum Enhanced Superresolution Confocal Microscopy.” Oron will demonstrate how the resolution of a standard confocal can be increased fourfold with a twofold axial resolution increase. This is achieved utilizing the quantum phenomenon of fluorescence antibunching. Oron’s area of interests are at the interface between light and the nanoscale in which he studies the interaction of light with nanostructured materials, optical super-resolution methods and the optics of biological nanostructured materials. Oron’s talk is scheduled for 14 April 2021 at 14:00 UTC. Use this link to convert the session to your local time zone.

R. Clay Reid, Senior Investigator,  Allen Institute for Brain Science, USA, will review approaches for analyzing neural circuits in his talk, “Petascale Microscopy for Brain Mapping: Electron and Light Microscopic Approaches to Connectomics.” His pioneering work includes new methods for recording increasingly large ensembles of neurons to study sensory processing. Reid’s plenary is scheduled for 15 April 2021 at 19:00 UTC. Use this link to convert the session to your local time zone.

Registration is now open for participants. Advanced registration is required to receive the web link and access the conference. 

https://www.osa.org/en-us/meetings/osa_meetings/osa_biophotonics_congress/exhibition/

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Virtual OSA Industry Development Associates Showcase - Dec 1-3

The 2nd Virtual OSA Industry Development Associates (OIDA) Technology Showcase will be held 1 – 3 December 2020, beginning at 10:00 EST. 

The three-day program will feature 29 companies in a format comprised of six technology themes – Instrumentation and Metrology, Imaging and Microscopy, Fiber Optics and Communication, Services, Precision Optics and Components and Precision Sources.

Participating companies, OIDA members, will present their products to a global audience and engage with attendees in virtual networking rooms for demos and Q&A discussion. Industry experts will introduce new problem-solving tools and materials such as continuously variable filters, high performance fiber optic components and assemblies, 3D imaging systems and more. Event registration is free and open to the public.

“The response for the first technology showcase was so overwhelmingly positive that more companies expressed interest in participating in the next program,” said Simin Cai, OIDA Council Chair and President and CEO, Go!Foton, USA. “As companies embrace new engagement strategies in a virtual environment, they recognize this format allows for substantive presentations and networking opportunities to support their business objectives. Attendees will also benefit by having direct access to industry leaders who will share the latest innovations and trends in the marketplace.”

The 29 participating companies include II-VI, CMC Microsystems, Delta Optical Thin Film, Hamamatsu, Inrad Optics, Ligentec, Santec, Schott Advanced Optics, Source Photonics and TRUMPF. 

https://www.osa.org/en-us/meetings/industry_events/oida_technology_showcase_2020_december/

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OSA Laser Congress underway this week

The all-virtual, web conference format OSA Laser Congress takes place this week,  13 – 16 October 2020. Key topics will be the next generation of laser-based manufacturing technologies and the history and future of solid state lasers

Plenary speaker Jan Kleinert, Research Director at Electro-Scientific Industries (ESI), a division of MKS Instruments, Inc., USA, will share latest innovations in laser based manufacturing technologies in his talk titled “From µs to fs, kHz to GHz: laser micromachining in the microelectronics industry.” Understanding the underlying highly nonlinear laser material interaction dynamics is key to keeping pace with faster, better and cheaper technologies.

“A Journey through 60 Years of Solid State Lasers” is the featured topic of the plenary talk by Peter F. Moulton, senior staff, Laser Applications and Applications Group at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington, MA, USA. Solid state lasers have achieved a dominant role in both scientific and industrial applications. Moulton will review 60 years of laser development and future applications.

The OSA Laser Congress plenary program is scheduled for Tuesday, 13 October, 08:00 – 10:00 EDT.

https://www.osa.org/en-us/meetings/osa_meetings/laser_congress/registration/

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Silicon photonics pioneer Michal Lipson elected by The Optical Society

 Dr. Michal Lipson, Eugene Higgins Professor at Columbia University, has been elected members of The Optical Society (OSA) to serve as the society’s 2021 Vice President. Lipson’s four-year commitment to OSA’s Board of Directors consists of serving one year as vice president in 2021, followed by one year as president-elect in 2022, president in 2023 and past president in 2024.

“In the field of silicon photonics, Lipson is a pioneer whose work in tailoring the electro-optic properties of silicon and advancing research and development is world-renowned,” said OSA CEO Elizabeth Rogan. “Her contributions to OSA and the optics and photonics community have been extraordinary and the society will continue to benefit from her serving in this key leadership role.”

Dr. Lipson pioneered critical building blocks in the field of silicon photonics, which today is recognized as one of the most promising directions for solving the major bottlenecks in microelectronics. In 2004, she showed the ability to tailor the electro-optic properties of silicon (Almeida, et al., Nature 2004 with more than 1300 citations and Xu et al Nature 2005 with more than 2000 citations) which represented critical advances that led to the explosion of silicon photonics research and development. The number of publications related to silicon photonic devices and systems is now more than 50,000 a year. Many of these publications are based on Lipson’s original papers published since 2001. 

OSA members also elected two directors-at-large to serve on the OSA Board of Directors for the 2021-2023 term:

• Dr. Joyce Poon is a Director of the Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at University of Toronto, Canada and an Honorary Professor in the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Technical University of Berlin, Germany. She and her team specialize in integrated photonics on silicon. She currently serves as an Associate Editor for Optics Express. Poon founded the OSA Student Chapter at the California Institute of Technology, USA where she earned her Ph.D. She subsequently built a research program centered on silicon integrated photonics for telecom applications at the University of Toronto, Canada. 
• Dr. Ulrike Woggon is Professor of Experimental Physics, in particular Nonlinear Optics, at the Institute for Optics and Atomic Physics of the Technical University Berlin (TUB).  In 1985, she received her Ph.D. from Humboldt University in the field of nonlinear optics in semiconductors. Her research interests, documented by more than 200 refereed publications and approximately 7,500 citations, several book chapters and numerous invited lectures as well as third-party funding, are in the field of nanophotonics, ultrafast spectroscopy, solid-state optics and photonic materials. Woggon is one of the founding members of the Berlin School of Optical Sciences and Quantum Technology (BOS.QT). She became an OSA Fellow in 2010, and has served as chair or member on several OSA program committees. 

Lipson and the new directors-at-large will begin their terms on 1 January 2021.

https://www.osa.org/en-us/about_osa/newsroom/news_releases/2020/silicon_photonics_pioneer_michal_lipson_elected_20/

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The Optical Society opposes U.S. government restrictions on student visas

The Optical Society (OSA) stands opposed to new restrictions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. Here is the statement of Elizabeth Rogan, CEO, The Optical Society (OSA):

"The Optical Society (OSA) strongly opposes the decision by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to modify temporary exemptions for current and future nonimmigrant F-1 and M-1 visa students attending schools in the U.S. Under these new rules, nonimmigrant F-1 and M-1 students in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program are prohibited from taking a full online course load while remaining in the U.S. In addition, they will not be allowed to enter the country from abroad. Students who cannot transfer to a school with in-person instruction on such short notice will likely face deportation."

"The decision has serious implications for students as academic institutions across the U.S. and globally transition to online offerings to mitigate the risk of covid-19. Students in STEM and other fields attending U.S. schools will be unable to start or complete their academic work. Their lives will be uprooted, and degrees will be abandoned. The new rules are the latest in a series of increasingly exclusionary and shortsighted immigration proclamations by the Administration.

"OSA supports the civil liberties and human rights of all scientists and engineers and declares its support for the 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Scientific progress needs governments to respect basic human rights in order to achieve its full potential. Governments must avoid interference with the human rights of scientists and engineers as they carry out their professional work. The ICE decision restricts the training, education, and work of students and runs counter to OSA’s core value of inclusivity."

"As we search for scientific solutions to global challenges such as the pandemic, there could hardly be a worse time to shut the country off from talented students. We urge U.S. government officials to reverse this destructive decision. Students must be allowed to continue their studies should their institutions maintain online-only courses during the pandemic."

https://www.osa.org/e

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Researchers test quantum entanglement from nanosatellite

Researchers from the National University of Singapore and NASA generated and detected quantum entanglement onboard a CubeSat nanosatellite orbiting the Earth.

The experiment demonstrated that a miniaturized source of quantum entanglement can operate successfully in space aboard a low-resource, cost-effective CubeSat that is smaller than a shoebox (10 cm × 10 cm × 10 cm).

The photon-pair source consisted of a blue laser diode that shines on nonlinear crystals to create pairs of photons. Achieving high-quality entanglement required a complete redesign of the mounts that align the nonlinear crystals with high precision and stability. The nanosatellite, named SpooQy-1, was deployed into orbit from the International Space Station on 17-June-2019. The instrument successfully generated entangled photon-pairs over temperatures from 16 °C to 21.5 °C.

“In the future, our system could be part of a global quantum network transmitting quantum signals to receivers on Earth or on other spacecraft,” said lead author Aitor Villar from the Centre for Quantum Technologies at the National University of Singapore. “These signals could be used to implement any type of quantum communications application, from quantum key distribution for extremely secure data transmission to quantum teleportation, where information is transferred by replicating the state of a quantum system from a distance.”

A report on the project was published in Optica, The Optical Society's (OSA) journal for high impact research.

The researchers are now working with RALSpace in the UK to design and build a quantum nanosatellite similar to SpooQy-1 with the capabilities needed to beam entangled photons from space to a ground receiver. This is slated for demonstration aboard a 2022 mission.

https://www.osa.org/en-us/about_osa/newsroom/news_releases/2020/quantum_entanglement_demonstrated_aboard_orbiting/

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Global Environmental Monitoring and Measurement in Scotland

The network of 25 sensors will be installed in primary and secondary schools across Glasgow, Scotland to collect real-time information on emissions of CO2 and various noxious gases in the city’s air. The trial is part of the Global Environmental Monitoring and Measurement (GEMM) initiative, a collaboration between the University of Strathclyde; Stanford, the University of California at Berkeley, The Optical Society (OSA), the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the Met Office, and the National Physical Laboratory, UK.

“This project will deliver the type of data necessary to drive efforts in Glasgow and other cities to reduce emissions and greenhouse gases,” said Elizabeth Rogan, CEO, The Optical Society (OSA). “The GEMM initiative is developing measurement technologies to improve climate change models and inform decision-making in both the public and private sector.”

Professor Allister Ferguson, University of Strathclyde and co-lead of the project said, “As the climate changes rapidly, public and private decision-makers around the world are facing an ever-increasing need for more accurate environmental data, improved measurements, and forecasting models to predict the future course of the environment and, where possible, develop strategies to adapt to or mitigate these environmental and climate-change caused disruptions.

Co-lead Dr. Thomas Baer, Director of Stanford Photonics Research Center at Stanford University, USA and a Visiting Professor at Strathclyde said, “While efforts to reduce GHG emissions have made great strides, particularly when it comes to electricity generation, heating and transport remain two challenging areas. Being able to monitor in real-time the GHG emissions caused predominately by traffic, policymakers will be able to make informed decisions and see near-immediate results.”

https://www.osa.org/en-us/about_osa/newsroom/news_releases/2020/scientists_install_sensors_in_glasgow_scotland_sch/

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All-Virtual 2020 OSA Advanced Photonics Congress Plenary 13 – 16 July

Advances in quantum information processing technologies and nonlinear integrated circuits, implementation of quantum photonics, and new opportunities with nanophotonics will be presented by leaders in the field at the all-virtual 2020 OSA Advanced Photonics Congress 13 – 16 July 2020.

The congress, originally planned as an in-person event, has been transitioned to an all-virtual, web conference format to ensure registrants have access to the high-quality, peer-reviewed technical program. Technical sessions will be presented live from the Eastern Daylight Time Zone (EDT). The Advanced Photonics Congress plenaries are scheduled for Monday, 13 July and Wednesday, 15 July.

Plenary speaker Ian Walmsley, Provost of Imperial College London, UK and 2018 OSA President, will explain how new quantum light sources, operational circuits, photodetectors and quantum memories are driving progress towards building a resilient, scalable photonic quantum network. The talk titled “Advanced Photonics for Quantum Technologies” will explore the promise of hybrid light-matter networks in delivering these technologies.

“From Inverse Design to Implementation of Practical (quantum) Photonics” is the focus of the plenary talk by Jelena Vuckovic, professor, Stanford University, USA. She will describe how combining state of the art optimization and machine learning techniques with high speed electromagnetic solvers offers a new approach to “inverse” design and implementation of classical and quantum photonic circuits with superior properties.

In his plenary address titled “New Physics from Photonic Systems,” Marin Soljacic, professor of physics at MIT, will discuss how the laws of physics can be tailored almost at will to mold the flow of light with nanophotonics and implement novel material-systems.

Ben Eggleton, director of the University of Sydney Nano Institute (Sydney Nano), will highlight “New Frontiers in Nonlinear Integrated Circuits” in his plenary talk. He will describe major achievements with emphasis on hybrid circuits that combine high nonlinearity with CMOS functionality for high-performance and advanced functionality. that combine high nonlinearity with CMOS functionality for high-performance and advanced functionality  that combine high nonlinearity with CMOS functionality for high-performance and advanced functionality

The OSA Advanced Photonics Congress, comprised of eight topical meetings, addresses the many aspects of photonic device research and development and their use in networks. Integrated photonic circuits and stand-alone components such as switches and modulators in silicon, lll-V, graphene and polymer material systems will be featured in technical sessions along with nanophotonic and quantum devices and concepts.

Conference registration is free and currently open. You must register in advance to receive the web link for the conference. All registrants will receive access to the Technical Digest, the live technical sessions and recorded/archived content.

https://www.osa.org/en-us/meetings/osa_meetings/advanced_photonics_congress/registration/

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The Optical Society joins #ShutDownSTEM on June 10th

The Optical Society (OSA) is joining the grassroots effort #ShutDownSTEM on Wednesday, 10 June to encourage STEM organizations to support the Black Lives Matter movement and focus on racism in academia and science.

As part of the effort, OSA is halting all external marketing for programs and initiatives and staff meetings throughout the day and OSA social media will focus on messaging specific to the movement. OSA staff have also been encouraged to make a commitment towards education, action and healing as suggested by #ShutDownSTEM organizers.

Learn more about the movement here https://www.shutdownstem.com/about

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2020 OSA Imaging and Applied Optics Congress, 23 – 26 June

The 2020 OSA Imaging and Applied Optics Congress and the co-located OSA Optical Sensors and Sensing Congress will be virtual events this year presented 22 – 26 June. Key topics will include spectroscopic sensing by laser techniques, new sensing approaches to spectroscopic and material-based gas sensors, images of a black hole and design strategies for sensor array cameras.

• In his talk titled “Laser Spectroscopic Sensing in Environmental, Ecological and Biomedical Research,” Sensing Congress plenary speaker Sune Svanberg, professor at South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China will discuss how these laser techniques and non-intrusive monitoring are being applied to areas strongly impacting human daily life. 
• Sensing Congress plenary speaker Radislav Potyrailo, principal scientist at GE Research, USA will analyze capabilities of natural and fabricated photonic three-dimensional nanostructures as sensors for detection of different gases. His talk titled “Journey from Natural to Fabricated Gas Sensing Photonic Nanostructures: Unexpected Discoveries and Societal Impact” will highlight performance advances in detection of multiple gases with specific nanostructure designs.
• Techniques developed by the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration to photograph a black hole will be the focus of the Imaging Congress plenary with speaker Katie Bouman, assistant professor at California Institute of Technology, USA. Bouman’s talk titled “Capturing the First Picture of a Black Hole and Beyond,” will describe how data from the Event Horizon Telescope’s observations of a black hole were calibrated and imaged, and future developments with telescope arrays.
• David Brady, professor at Duke University, USA will review design strategies for heterogeneous sensor array cameras and analyze system performance for various recent designs in his Imaging Congress plenary talk titled “Defining the Digital Camera.” The camera consists of a variety of sensor resources, potentially including lens and sensor arrays with various forms of active illumination and 3D sensing.

The all-virtual 2020 OSA Optical Sensors and Sensing Congress, 22 – 25 June, comprised of five topical meetings, features the latest optical-based sensor advances as the market continues to expand and sensor technology becomes more sophisticated. Conference registration is free for all participants and currently open. You must register in advance to receive the web link to access the conference.

The all-virtual 2020 OSA Imaging and Applied Optics Congress, 23 – 26 June, comprised of five topical meetings, highlights the latest imaging research and applications of these technologies to industrial, military and medical challenges. Conference registration is free for all participants and currently open. You must register in advance to receive the web link to access the conference.

https://www.osa.org/en-us/meetings/osa_meetings/optical_sensors_and_sensing_congress/

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OIDA Quantum Photonics Roadmap: Every Photon Counts

A newly released Quantum Photonics Roadmap: Every Photon Counts, which was produced by OSA Industry Development Associates (OIDA) in collaboration with Corning, clarifies the applications and timing for quantum technologies and specifies improvements in optics and photonics components needed to enable commercialization. It covers the three major application areas: quantum sensing and metrology, quantum communications and quantum computing.

Commercialization of products such as quantum sensors for GPS-free navigation and field-deployable quantum repeaters for communications will be significant milestones in an emerging market but more investments in product engineering are critical. Lower SWAP-C devices would enable progress, for example, across multiple sensing categories, and integration of these systems onto photonic chips is a critical path to doing so. While some integration is possible today, more on-chip functionality (e.g., sources, modulators, switches) is needed.

“While the field still needs breakthroughs in quantum science, such as a quantum repeater, the photonics technology already largely exists for laboratory experiments,” says Tom Hausken, senior industry advisor, The Optical Society (OSA). “The product engineering -- low size, weight, power and cost -- is missing, or it is applied to a specific customer application, without benefit to the rest of the field. The need is analogous to the talent shortage, not just with scientists, but with engineers in photonics, microwave and control electronics, packaging and cryogenics who have the specialized expertise to bring the technology to market.”

Although the quantum technology market is still in the early stages, the optics and photonics community already supplies critical enabling components to research and development labs in the near term to ensure progress. OIDA estimates sales of optics and photonics for lab equipment used by quantum researchers at about US$100 million per year. The commercial market for quantum end-use products is expected to rise to billions of dollars by 2030.

“The real impact of quantum technology is what it can do, which could be far greater than the market for the technology itself,” Hausken adds. “The fear of missing out (FOMO) on that impact on competitiveness and security is driving funding in quantum research, which OIDA estimates at about US$2 billion annually.”

The public and private sectors worldwide are making multi-year investments in quantum technologies with an end-goal of market ready applications. In the U.S., the National Quantum Initiative Act, a multi-agency plan, proposes US$1.2 billion in funding for quantum information science over five-years. The European Union’s Quantum Flagship program is budgeted at 1 billion euros over a ten-year period.

Investments in the product engineering of quantum technology could support classical applications as well. For example, investments in lower loss integrated photonics and single-photon detectors could yield benefits in classical optical communications and low-light imaging, respectively. Integrated photonics offers many promising solutions for quantum technology, at a time when it offers multiple solutions in other fields.

To read the full report, visit http://www.osa.org/OIDARoadmap

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IDL2020: Visionary papers and videos

In recognition of the International Day of Light (May 16th), leaders in the photonics field released new articles that describe how light-based technologies are driving cleaner energy, sustainable farming, high-speed connectivity, and better diagnostics and treatments.

The authors include Nobel Laureate Donna Strickland, University of Waterloo, Canada; Juergen Popp and Ute Neugebauer, Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology e.V. Jena, Germany; Cather Simpson, University of Auckland, New Zealand; and Imrana Ashraf, Quaid-i-Azam University, Pakistan.

“The best thing we can do is put our confidence in scientists and engineers who work with light and in many other areas of science to develop solutions to the many challenges we are facing, and to guide us towards a brighter future.” - International Day of Light Steering Committee Chair John Dudley, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, France.

Key advancements noted in the articles:

• The development of efficient LEDs provide cost-effective lighting solutions, which are especially impactful in developing nations and lower greenhouse gas emissions worldwide;
• Fiber optics has revolutionized the way humans interact in the 21st century by easing the communication and transmission of information;
• The science of light has created diagnostic equipment, along with incoherent and coherent light solutions for treatment of outbreaks, such as COVID-19;
• Light-based sensing technologies allow for more accurate monitoring of environmental health as countries assess climate change;
• Developments in imaging and remote sensing are enabling sustainable agriculture goals that help mitigate food shortages.

“These visionary leaders have shared thoughtful articles that we hope will resonate with scientists and non-scientists alike. Each topic also connects to current and future solutions around the pandemic we are living through now. IEEE Photonics Society is proud to support this initiative.” - IEEE Photonics Society President Carmen Menoni, Colorado State University, USA.

"SPIE is proud to be one of the founding sponsors working to establish the International Day of Light. The solutions to today's global challenges will all involve light-based technologies, either directly or indirectly. Highlighting this impact is crucial, as we must broaden the awareness of light in our lives across the globe," said SPIE President John E. Greivenkamp, University of Arizona, USA

 “OSA’s partnership with our fellow societies to support this campaign is essential to building public awareness of the importance of the science of light and light-based technologies. Light has to be on the forefront of minds for voters, policy-makers, STEM educators and - most importantly - the next generation of our workforce,” commented OSA President Stephen D. Fantone, Optikos Corporation, USA.

https://www.lightday.org/

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IDL2020: 60th anniversary of the laser

Saturday, May 16th marked the annual International Day of Light (IDL2020) as well as the 60th anniversary of the first demonstration of a laser.

The first laser was built by Theodore H. Maiman at Hughes Research Laboratories and successfully fired for the first time on May 16, 1960. The development was based on theoretical work by Charles Hard Townes and Arthur Leonard Schawlow.

II-VI, which has been making precision optics for CO2 lasers for nearly 50 years, commemorated IDL2020 by supporting UNESCO as an official Gold Sponsor of the IDL, and by releasing three videos on the topic.

IDL 2020 – 5 Enlightening Facts about CO2 Lasers

IDL 2020 – Fuzhou Exhibit Hall Grand Opening

IDL 2020 – II-VI Celebrates the 60th Anniversary of the Laser

https://www.lightday.org/

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2020 CLEO Technical Conference, 11 – 15 May

Silicon photonics, the next generation of optical quantum information processing, the adoption of flexible technology and optical frequency comb technology are the main topics of plenary talks at the all-virtual 2020 CLEO Technical Conference, 11 – 15 May. The online event highlights the latest research, applications and market-ready technologies in all areas of lasers and photonics. In addition to the plenary sessions, the conference features comprehensive peer-reviewed presentations in three topic areas: Applications & Technology, Fundamental Science and Science & Innovations.

Technical sessions will be presented live from the Pacific Daylight Time Zone (PDT) with a recorded archive available later for on-demand viewing. Authors will pay a US$ 100 publishing fee; all others can access the conference at no cost.

The plenaries scheduled for Tuesday, 12 May and Wednesday, 13 May will be presented live with a recorded archive available later for on-demand viewing. The conference, originally planned as an in-person event, has been transitioned to an all-virtual format to ensure registrants have access to the high-quality, peer-reviewed technical program. Technical sessions will be presented live from the Pacific Daylight Time Zone (PDT).

In his talk titled “Silicon Photonics,” plenary speaker John Bowers, director of the Institute for Energy Efficiency and professor, University of California Santa Barbara, USA, will provide an overview of recent research and prospects for future results. Silicon photonics has become a mainstream technology for high-volume, low-cost manufacturing of photonic devices and integrated circuits for a wide variety of applications.

Plenary speaker Paul Kwiat, professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Director of Illinois Quantum Information Science and Technology Center (IQUIST), USA will discuss near-term prospects for multi-photon quantum processing in his talk titled “Advanced Resources for Optical Quantum Information Processing – the Next Generation.” Recent advances in sources, detectors and memories hold promise for a new generation of QIP, with enhanced rates and complexity orders of magnitude beyond current capabilities.

Plenary speaker Bill Liu, Chairman and CEO, Royole Corporation, China and USA will talk about “The Future of Flexible Electronics” particularly fully flexible displays, flexible sensors and their fast-growing applications. The next generation of human-machine interactions or HMI pivots on the wide adoption of flexible technology.

In the plenary talk titled “Intelligent Optical Synthesizer: Versatile Control of Optical Waves with Frequency Combs Towards Innovative Applications,” Kaoru Minoshima, professor, The University of Electro-Communications, Japan, will discuss how full use of comb properties has opened up broad applications such as direct study of full properties of materials, adaptive sensing and rapid 3D imaging.

Conference registration is free for all participants and currently open.

https://www.cleoconference.org/home/registration/

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Researching chip-based devices for quantum-secured communication

Secure quantum key exchange can be accomplished between two chip-based devices, according to a paper published in Optica, The Optical Society's (OSA) journal for high-impact research. Two devices measuring just 6 x 2 millimeters potentially can operate of a fiber link of up to 200km. The chip-based devices contain all the optical components necessary for quantum key distribution.

The new quantum key distribution devices contain highly complex circuits that control the weak photonic signals of light necessary for quantum key distribution. Nanoscale components in the chips make it possible to drastically reduce the size and power consumption of quantum communication systems while maintaining high-speed performance vital for modern networks.

A demonstration has been performed at the University of Bristol Quantum Engineering Technology Labs.

“Chip-based devices significantly reduce the barrier for widespread uptake of quantum-secured communication by providing a robust, mass-manufacturable platform,” said research team leader Henry Semenenko from the University of Bristol, UK. “In the future, these devices will form part of a standard household connection to the internet that keeps our data secure regardless of advances in computing technology.”

“With its densely packed optical components, our chip-based platform offers a level of precise control and complexity not achievable with alternatives,” said Semenenko. “It will allow users to access a secure network with a cost-effective device the same size as the routers we use today to access the internet.”

https://www.osapublishing.org/optica/abstract.cfm?uri=optica-7-3-238

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Silicon-based optical parametric oscillator transforms wavelengths

Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), University of Maryland, and University of Colorado are developing a new optical parametric oscillator (OPO) light source that can produce output light at different wavelength than the input light. In addition to creating light at visible wavelengths, the OPO simultaneously generates near-infrared wavelengths that can be used for telecom applications.

The research is published in Optica, The Optical Society's (OSA) journal.

“Our power-efficient and flexible approach generates coherent laser light across a range of wavelengths wider than what is accessible from direct chip-integrated lasers,” said research team leader Kartik Srinivasan. “The on-chip creation of visible light can be used as part of highly functional compact devices such as chip-based atomic clocks or devices for portable biochemical analyses. Developing the OPO in a silicon photonics platform creates the potential for scalable manufacturing of these devices in commercial fabrication foundries, which could make this approach very cost-effective.”

“Nonlinear optical technologies are already used as integral components of lasers in the world’s best atomic clocks and many laboratory spectroscopy systems,” said Xiyuan Lu, first author of the paper and a NIST-University of Maryland postdoctoral scholar. “Being able to access different types of nonlinear optical functionality, including OPOs, within integrated photonics is important for transitioning technologies currently based in laboratories into platforms that are portable and can be deployed in the field.”

The Optical Society said the silicon-based device may enable variety of photonic applications across a range of wavelengths.

Some highlights:
The OPO based on a microring made from silicon nitride.
It is fed by approximately 1 milliwatt of infrared laser power — about the same amount of power found in a laser pointer.
As the light travels around the microring it increases in optical intensity until powerful enough to create a non-linear optical response in silicon nitride.
This enables frequency conversion, a nonlinear process that can be used to produce an output wavelength, or frequency, that is different from that of the light going into the system.
The device was used to convert 900-nanometer input light to 700-nanometer-wavelength (visible) and 1300-nanometer-wavelength (telecommunications) bands.
The OPO accomplished this using less than 2 percent of the pump laser power required by previously reported microresonator OPOs developed for generating widely separated output colors.

number of compact chip lasers combined with flexible and versatile nonlinear nanophotonics.”

Paper: X. Lu, G. Moille, A. Singh, Q. Li, D. A. Westly, A. Rao, S.-P. Yu, T. C. Briles, S. B. Papp, K. Srinivasan, “Milliwatt-threshold visible-telecom optical parametric oscillation using silicon nanophotonics,” Optica, 6, 12, 1535-1541 (2019).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1364/OPTICA.6.001535

https://www.osapublishing.org/optica/home.cfm

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OSA announces $20K prize for early career photonic researchers

The Optical Society Foundation (OSAF) and Coherent, Inc. announced the establishment of an annual Bernard J. Couillaud Prize, a merit-based award to support early-career OSA members who are engaged in ultrafast photonics research and application development.

Each Bernard J. Couillaud award will total $20,500 with up to an additional $5,000 in travel expenses to attend an OSA scientific conference. Deadline for application for the first prize is 08 March, 2019. The inaugural winner will be announced at CLEO: Laser Science to Photonic Applications, San Jose, CA USA, 5-10 May 2019.

The prize honors the extraordinary contributions of laser physics pioneer, Bernard J. Couillaud, who was a former President and CEO of Coherent (1996-2002) and later served as Chairman of the company’s Board of Directors (2002-07). He had joined the firm in 1983 after a three-year visiting fellowship at Stanford University, where he contributed to the development of the Hänsch-Couillaud technique of laser frequency stabilization. At Coherent, he was instrumental in the development of numerous dye, DPSS and Ti:S lasers. A native of France, Couillaud received his Ph.D in laser physics in 1978 at the University of Bordeaux where he helped pioneer continuous wave and pulsed dye lasers. He passed away in 2017.

“To support early-career laser scientists and engineers who are pursuing innovative and impactful work is fundamental to the mission of The Optical Society Foundation,” said Executive Director, Chad Stark. “We all look forward to the naming of the first recipient of this distinguished prize.”

Coherent CEO John Ambroseo said Couillaud “had the rare ability to combine a passion for physics, lasers and photonics with business. He consistently nurtured and encouraged younger people to innovate and develop their own ideas. We believe this prize will honor that legacy."

https://www.osa.org/en-us/foundation/programs/bernard_j_couillaud_prize

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