Laser Applications Conference (LAC)

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Helena Jelinková
Technical University Prague, Czechia

Solid-state lasers and their applications at the Czech Technical University in Prague

Jens Biegert
ICFO -Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, Spain

Light in a Blink: Harnessing Few-Cycle Pulses for Extreme Photonics

Harald Haas
University of Cambridge, UK

Has the Time for Optical Wireless Communications Finally Arrived?

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Short Courses

Short courses cover a broad range of topic areas at a variety of educational levels (introductory to advanced) and are taught by highly-regarded industry experts.

They are an excellent opportunity to learn about new products, cutting-edge technology and vital information at the forefront of your field. They are designed to increase your knowledge of a specific subject while offering you the experience of knowledgeable teachers.

Certificates of Attendance are available for those who register and attend a course. To request a Certificate of Attendance after the course concludes, please email cstech@optica.org with your name, course name, conference name and year.
 

1. SC522 - Understanding Pulse Generation with Lasers

   Sunday, 08 October
   09:00 - 12:00

   Instructor: Rüdiger Paschotta, RP Photonics Consulting GmbH, Switzerland

2. SC523 - Hollow-Core Fibers: Fabrication and Applications

   Sunday, 08 October
   09:00 - 12:00

   Instructor: Rodrigo Amezcua Correa and Selim Habib

3. SC511 - Power Scaling and Future Directions of Advanced Fiber Lasers

   Sunday, 08 October
   09:00 - 12:00

   Instructor: Michalis Zervas, University of Southampton, UK

4. SC524 - Optical Parametric Sources

   Sunday, 08 October
   14:00 - 17:00

   Instructor: Majid Ebrahim-Zadeh

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Laser Applications Conference Panels

Additive Laser-Based Processing: From Large Scale to Micro Nano Material Processing

Organizer: Ruth Houbertz, ThinkMade Engineering and Consulting, Germany

Laser-based additive manufacturing is driving the next wave of industrial innovation, combining precision, flexibility and scalability. This session will explore cutting-edge advancements in laser applications, calibration, process control and in-situ monitoring, alongside the expanding role of laser processing in micro and nano structuring. Attendees will gain insights into how maskless, high-resolution laser techniques enable complex 2D via 2.5D to 3D geometries—ranging from sub-100-nanometer features to large-scale components—across various materials and applications. Additive manufacturing can be combined with subtractive, ablative processes, or even a mix-and-match of the same with a freedom in design which is not feasible using other structuring techniques from the micro to the macro scale. Dependent on the kind of laser and the types of materials which are used in the processes, either functional surfaces or functional structures can be created on a micron down to the 100 nm scale or even below. A prominent feature is that the structures are not limited to micrometer size areas but can be also scaled to square meters and beyond. Aside from surface-based submicron structuring, also nanoparticles can be fabricated, which also can be implemented in many applications. Real-world case studies will highlight how these technologies accelerate qualification, enhance part quality and streamline production in both additive and microfabrication workflows.

Invited Speakers:

• Tobias Baranzke, Aconity3D GmbH, Germany
• Maria Farsari, FORTH/IESL, Greece
• Darius Gailevičius, Vilniaus University, Czechia
• Paul Hartmann, Joanneum Research, Austria
• Martin Hermatschweiler, Nanoscribe GmbH & Co. KG, Germany
• Aleksandr Ovsianikov, UpNano GmbH, Austria

Brittle Materials Processing

Organizer: Stuart McLean, Coherent Corp., USA

Brittle materials pose a significant challenge to mechanical machining.  Lasers have a unique advantage in processing a variety of brittle materials as their wavelengths and pulse durations can be tailored to optimize the material interaction.  Brittle materials such as Glass, Sapphire, Silicon, SiC and Diamond are increasingly benefitting from laser processing.  Unique laser cutting, drilling, selective etching and polishing methods are lowering the cost of machining these materials at unprecedented accuracy. Lasers are finding increased adoption in this application as the available pulse energy and speed of processing scales to be more cost effective.

Invited Speakers:

• Yusuke Ito, University of Tokyo, Japan
• Michał Nejbauer, Fluence sp. z o.o., Poland
• Astrid Sassmannshausen, Fraunhofer Inst for Laser Technology ILT, Germany
• Mareike Shaefer, Inst für Oberflächen-und Schichtanalytik, Germany

EUV, X-Ray Generation & Particle Acceleration

Organizer: Lahsen Assoufid, Argonne National Laboratory, USA

The rapid progress in extreme-power laser technology opened a path to the development of a new generation of small-scale EUV, X-ray and Gamma-ray light sources with unprecedented brightness and short pulses. These sources, which could fit on a tabletop or in a small-scale laboratory, will revolutionize many industrial, research, medical, defense and security applications. This session focuses on the latest developments, needs and challenges in high-power laser technologies tailored to methods for short (EUV, X- and Gamma-ray) wavelength generation and particle acceleration.

Invited Speakers:

• Yanjun Gu, Osaka University, Japan
• Stephen Milton, Tau Systems, USA
• Igor Pogorelsky, Brookhaven National Laboratory, USA
• Mitsuhiro Yoshida, KEK, Japan

Fusion Energy

Organizer: Vincent Issier, MKS Instruments Inc., USA

Nuclear fusion promises an abundant, inexhaustible source of clean energy without the greenhouse gas emissions of fossil fuels or the radioactive waste of nuclear fission. The last few years have seen enormous progress towards functional fusion using lasers for inertial confinement. Scientists at the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California (LLNL) managed to produce, in December 2022, for the first time, a nuclear fusion reaction that released more energy than it used. This critical milestone paves the way for the future of clean energy generation. Meanwhile, funding is accelerating, and several private companies have raised well over $ 100 million. This panel aims to provide an overview of the Laser Fusion.

Invited Speakers:

• JC Btaiche, Fuse Energy, USA
• Jana Jung, Marvel Fusion GmbH, Germany
• Edward Moses, Longview Fusion, USA

Global Security and Directed Energy

Organizer: Sandra Biedron, Element Aero and the Center for Bright Beams, USA

High-energy and high-intensity continue to mature and have myriad applications related to security and defense. This session will provide an overview of applications, such as directed energy, remote sensing,  securing the microelectronics supply chain, wavelength accessibility, and aspects  of unique user-accessible facilities for collaborative research and development. The session will also explore aspects of the workforce as well as supply chain for this unique sector of lasers and peripherals for global security.

Invited Speakers:

• Sergio Carbajo, University of California Los Angeles, USA
• Erik Hosler, PsiQuantum, USA
• Libor Juha, FZU - Institute of Physics of the Czech, Czechia
• Franck Leibreich, Thales, France

Laser-Beam Delivery and Beam Manipulation of High-Power Laser Beams

Organizer: Bryan Germann, AEROTECH, USA

The trend of ever-increasing power levels and shorter pulse durations for industrial laser systems and applications presents challenges and exciting opportunities for the field of beam delivery and manipulation. As peak power increases and wavelengths decrease, traditional optical components face limitations in handling the thermal loads and nonlinear effects that can degrade beam quality and lead to component damage. This session will explore the issues and current technology available to address these concerns as they directly apply to application requirements for microprocessing with lasers. A mixture of academic and industry experts will discuss innovative materials, adaptive optics, novel beam shaping and control techniques emerging to overcome these hurdles and ensure precise and efficient light delivery to the target in demanding applications.  

Invited Speakers:

• Dominik Bauer, TRUMPF Laser GmbH, Germany
• Florian Rößler, MOEWE Optical Solutions GmbH, Germany
• Frederik Wolf, Midel Photonics GmbH, Germany

ML/AI for Laser Materials Processing

Organizer: Thomas Grünberger, Plasmo Industrietechnik GmbH, Austria

The session will provide an overview of the possibilities of AI and ML including examples in the field of laser material processing. Attention will be drawn on added value in the field of data analytics in all forms - descriptive, diagnostic, predictive and prescriptive analytics. Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence are data driven approaches, so topics from data synthesis (acquisition), data preparation, model development and verification will be addressed.

Invited Speakers:

• Simon Altenburg, BAM, Germany
• Andrés Lasagni, Fraunhofer IWS, Germany

Surface Modification & Micromachining

Organizer: Heather George, TRUMPF Inc., USA

Surfaces are integral in mechanical and chemical interactions, and laser surface modification gives a degree of control in those interactions that is not possible with other processing techniques. From applications in hardening, to the texturing of surfaces for improved adhesion, lasers have the precision to tailor surface topology. Multiplexing and interference techniques are being developed to apply laser processes to large area surfaces. This session will focus on the latest capabilities of lasers, scanning techniques and processes to control fine structures for emerging market applications.

Invited Speakers: Bogdan Voisiat, SurFunction GmbH, Germany

THz Generation & Applications

Organizer: Kei Takeya, Institute for Molecular Science, Japan

In recent years, terahertz (THz) wave technology has advanced rapidly, with applications expanding into areas such as non-destructive inspection, medical diagnostics, security, and next-generation wireless communications. Furthermore, the emergence of high-power THz sources with ｍJ pulse energies has opened up new possibilities for applications. As a result, THz waves are also expected to serve as promising sources for particle acceleration and dielectric acceleration. In this session, we will introduce the latest advancements in THz wave technology and explore the newest developments in its applications.

Invited Speakers:

• Anselm Deninger, TOPTICA Photonics AG, Germany
• Nicholas Matlis, Deutsches Elektronen, Synchrotron, Germany
• Yuma Takida, RIKEN, Japan

Use of Laser Momentum Transfer to Help Remediate Space Debris

Organizer: Fabien Armogathe, EutelSat.net, USA

The number of conjunctions in LEO is increasing , causing more collision avoidance maneuvers and raising cost. Ground based laser technologies have a great potential to contribute to mitigate space debris threats. Presentation will address Laser Momentum Transfer (LMT), i.e. illumination of a space object with high power lasers to alter its orbit by ablation or photon pressure.

Invited Speakers: 

• Nadezhda Bulgakova, FZU - Institute of Physics of the Czech, Czechia
• Jan Vanda, HiLASE, Czechia

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