What are the “Frontiers in Optics”?
by Pedro Vallejo-Ramirez
Final day at FiO and I started wondering, what do people refer to when they talk about “Frontiers in Optics”? What are these frontiers? Who defines them? Are there plans to overcome them? It’s an ambitious task to attempt to respond all of these questions in a simple blog post, but I will attempt to give a brief snippet from my vantage point after three days in this conference.
Freeforms, Exoplanets, Filamentation, Quantum Technologies, Attosecond Science, Photonic Crystals, Biological Sensing, Frequency Combs, Astrophotonics, you name it. These topics have been burning hot in the mouths of the attendees, as many of the talks give new insights and show discoveries that could push the applications of these concepts to real world solutions. In my mind, these are the real frontiers in optics; most of the invited speakers are pioneering research in these fields and are pushing the boundaries of the known by publishing articles and engaging in intellectual conversations with other experts. We are the witnesses of a gathering of brilliant minds that could lead to spectacular theories about matter, light, and could result in future Nobel Prizes.
The coming International Ye
ar of Light will be a catalyst for the promotion of light sciences and will be a driving force to overcome the current frontiers in optics. Scientists will use this positive momentum to advance their research. Entire continents are mobilizing their efforts to put on events and festivals surrounding the theme of light. Check out all of these amazing initiatives and how to get involved here:
http://www.light2015.org/Home.html
A special thank you note to all the invited speakers, presenters, exhibitors, and attendees in general; you made this monumental gathering possible.
Finally, I’d like to give a shout out to the OSA staff; they’ve done a formidable effort putting together this conference, thanks for all your hard work!
Until the next conference,
Cheers!
Pedro
Posted: 23 Oct 2014 by Pedro Vallejo-Ramirez