FiO LS 2021 Highlights Latest Developments in the Optical Sciences Providing Opportunities for Focused, Deep-dives into the Promising Technologies of Tomorrow
Becky Bosco, Optica Sr. Director Corporate Communications
WASHINGTON — The 2021 Frontiers in Optics+Laser Science (FiO LS) conference and exhibition concluded 04 November with more than 1,500 registrants from 75 countries and almost 80 technical sessions with over 650 technical presentations.
This year’s technical program and exhibition leveraged the intersection between science and applications within three conference themes: Autonomous Systems, Machine Learning and Virtual Reality, and Augmented Vision. In addition to these cutting-edge presentations, FiO LS features invited speakers, special events, dynamic poster presentations and two engaging plenary speakers. FiO LS provides attendees from around the world with the opportunity to network, present, learn and connect.
“This four-day conference presented a remarkably insightful view of the recent advancements made in the optical sciences,” said 2021 FiO Co-chair Claudio Mazzali, Corning Inc., USA. “The FiO LS Program Committee, along with the staff from Optica, executed an amazing event. Aside from being a great production overall, there was a strong sense of community around this event. With insightful speakers, opportunities to network with the speakers and virtual booths - it was the next best thing to being in person."
Forefront Technical Presentations
The Technical Conference is supplemented by three themes that leverage the intersection between science and applications— the result is intended to illustrate the research within the technology. The conference chairs and subcommittee carefully curate a technical program that addresses the breadth and depth of the community. The meeting's structure is influenced by Optica technical divisions such as fabrication, design and instrumentation; optics in biology, medicine, vision and color; and information acquisition, processing and display. A special focus at the 2021 conference was on nanophotonics, plasmonics and metamaterials; quantum science, ultrafast dynamics in complex systems; and XFEL and high-field laser science.
"The high level of talks at FiO LS from global leaders in optical science research and innovation and a large number of Ph.D. students and young professionals make it 'the' place to learn and network with collaborators," said 2021 FiO Co-chair T.-C. Poon, Virginia Tech, USA. "With new programming, special sessions and dynamic visionary speakers, FiO LS, the annual meeting of Optica, is the place where scientific ideas meet industrial interests."
Plenary Speakers
The first plenary presentation of FiO LS 2021, entitled “Fourier Transforms and Fourier Optics with Mathematica™,” was given by Joseph W. Goodman. Goodman is the author of the books Introduction to Fourier Optics (now in its fourth edition), Statistical Optics (now in its second edition), and Speckle Phenomena in Optics (now in its second edition) and Fourier Transforms Using Mathematica. Goodman has received numerous awards from Optica, IEEE, ASEE and SPIE. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and an Honorary Member of Optica.
Anne L'Huillier, Professor, Lund University, Sweden, provided a glimpse of ultrafast dynamics of electrons in matter in FiO LS 2021’s second plenary talk titled “From Extreme Nonlinear Optics to Ultrafast Atomic Physics.” The interaction of atoms with intense laser radiation leads to the generation of high-order harmonics or, equivalently, trains of attosecond pulses. This presentation will describe the physics and performances of these sources and show how attosecond pulses can be used to investigate fast electron dynamics in atomic photoionization.
Visionary Speakers
With each discovery, the field of optical science continues to grow and fuel new advances in our interconnected world. To highlight recent breakthroughs in these areas, several industry and research experts were selected as Visionary Speakers for the conference. This year’s lineup included:
- Paul Debevec, Director of Research, Creative Algorithms and Technology, Netflix, USA
- Ryan McMichael, Senior Manager, Sensor Engineering, Zoox Inc, USA
- Keith Nelson, Haslam and Dewey Professor of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
- Ana Maria Rey, NIST and JILA Fellow, Associate Research Professor, University of Colorado at Boulder, USA
- Eli Yablonovitch, Professor, University of California at Berkeley, USA
- Jiangying Zhou, Program Manager, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, USA
“FiO LS is one of the most anticipated events in optical sciences and technology. The virtual format has certainly lived up to its reputation of providing unparalleled content and value,” said LS Co-chair Richard Averitt, University of California, San Diego, USA. “The Program Committee tapped into fantastic presenters from so many parts of the world, with diverse research backgrounds. We were thrilled to present the program to the community.”
“Optics and laser science create an unmatched synergy that pushes technological development,” said LS Co-chair Robert Kaindl, Arizona State University, USA. “The attendees at FiO LS were able to take advantage of an international cross-section of thought leaders, optical science experts, and innovative companies who are pushing the boundaries of the industry.”
Co-Located Meeting: Quantum Information and Measurement (QIM)
Recent advancements in quantum computing support the broad research in areas of biology, medicine, climate science, and materials development. This year’s QIM program covered the latest in theoretical developments and experimental implementations of quantum information technology, including the advanced engineering needed to realize such technologies. Topics also discussed were solid-state systems (superconductors, semiconductors) atoms, and ions (including gravity gradiometers and gyroscopes, and computing and simulation engines).
Videos of select presentations and highlights are available now on the FiO LS website. We’ll be back again in 2022 - bigger, better and more immersive than ever. Sign-up and be the first to know.
Social Media Engagement
Stay up to date and engaged with FiO LS throughout the year through Optica’s social media channels. Follow and tag us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Frontiers in Optics
Frontiers in Optics is Optica’s Annual Meeting and held together with Laser Science, a meeting sponsored by the American Physical Society’s Division of Laser Science (DLS). The two meetings unite the Optica and APS communities for four days of quality, cutting-edge presentations, in-demand invited speakers and a variety of special events spanning a broad range of topics in optics and photonics—the science of light—across the disciplines of physics, biology and chemistry.
