AIO 2016: Focus on Dr. Torsten Frosch, Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Germany
Sogol Borjian
What do you think people will learn from your talk as a take-home lesson?
Raman spectroscopic gas sensing can be strongly enhanced with help of novel optical fibers and cavities. Raman spectroscopy provides unique advantages, such as high chemical selectivity for multigas-sensing and the possibility for continuous online monitoring. Cavity enhanced Raman spectroscopies (CERS) and fiber enhanced Raman spectroscopies (FERS) are extremely versatile gas sensing techniques with plenty of applications.
What do you spend most of your time doing?
Most of my time I develop novel optical enhancement techniques in order to raise Raman gas sensors to a more sensitive and miniaturized level. Another important part is to exploit novel analytical applications. I really enjoy setting up new collaborations on interdisciplinary research topics and discussing the analytical requirements of the experiments. Often we have to deal with unexpected challenges during the experiments.
Where would you like to see your research in 5 years?
We address various research topics in environmental monitoring, pharmaceutical analysis and medical diagnostics. So I would like to see our novel Raman spectroscopic techniques as miniaturized, online sensors in various applications. I hope they pave the way to new discoveries regarding important challenges for our society – such as an early stage disease diagnosis by breath gas analysis or a better understanding of gas exchange processes due to climate change.
Which companies should be interested in your research and why?
We develop new photonic techniques for analytical spectroscopy. Our research is therefore very interesting for companies who develop lasers and optical components as well as companies developing analytical measurement devices. Obviously our miniaturized analytical techniques are potentially very interesting for various end-users.
Is there a single word or phrase that would describe you?
Analytical spectroscopist.
What motivates you to do what you do?
Following the visions which guide my research and to solve complex analytical problems. I enjoy interdisciplinary collaborations with people from other research fields.
Where does your passion come from?
I was always impressed by the work of scientists and inventors, like Edison or Faraday.
What do you think makes AIO meeting a remarkable meeting? Why do you think AIO is a useful meeting to attend?
AIO is a perfect meeting place for researcher and developers from academia and industry. This meeting provides a great opportunity for knowledge and information exchange regarding newest research developments and practical needs. A direct feedback regarding the needs for novel sensor developments is ensured and actual problems of the industrial development can be discussed. Therefore I am very much looking forward to attend the AIO meeting in July.
