Optics and Photonics for Sensing the Environment (ES)
Events
Optics and Photonics for Sensing the Environment (ES)
Optica Sensing Congress
20-24, July 2025
Long Beach, CA, USA
ES focuses on using optical sensing to monitor all aspects of the environment, from point sources to global scales.
Topics range from the development of novel technologies and their first field demonstrations to long-term applications in monitoring networks.
Essential Links
Optics and Photonics for Sensing the Environment (ES) 2025
Technical Program
This congress presents the latest developments in optical sensing and sensors as well as their use in a variety of applications. Of particular note are a number of hot topics being addressed, including agriphotonics, fiber-based sensing, THz sensing, sensing solutions in manufacturing and the latest developments in comb spectroscopy, including fiber lasers and mid-IR sources.
Objectives
- Learn about the latest advances in sensing for the environment, including dual-comb sensing of atmospheric gases, compact LIDAR and hyperspectral sensors.
- Discover relevant techniques for sensing in an industrial environment such as real-time process monitoring on the factory floor, spectroscopic food safety inspection and spectroscopic analysis in harsh environments.
- Understand the latest applications of fiber and nanophotonic sensors for biological and chemical sensing, including the newest wearable sensor technology.
- Investigate novel laboratory spectroscopic techniques and methodologies for disruptive sensing technology, such as novel light sources and detectors, photonic integrated circuit (PIC) sensors and sensing networks.
- Explore the production, detection, and use of THz radiation for metrology and sensing, including comb-source generation and biosensing applications.
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Chairs
Lukas Emmenegger
EMPA, Switzerland,
General Chair
Genevieve Plant
University of Michigan, United States,
General Chair
Caroline Kistner
Nanoplus Nanosystems and Tech GmbH, Germany,
Program Chair
Juha Toivonen
Tampereen Yliopisto, Finland,
Program Chair
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Committee
- Lukas Emmenegger, EMPA, Switzerland, General Chair
- Genevieve Plant, University of Michigan, United States, General Chair
- Caroline Kistner, Nanoplus Nanosystems and Tech GmbH, Germany, Program Chair
- Juha Toivonen, Tampereen Yliopisto, Finland, Program Chair
- Kevin Cossel, NIST Boulder, United States
- Paolo De Natale, Istituto Nazionale di Ottica, Italy
- Christoph Dyroff, Aerodyne Research Inc, Germany
- Andreas Fix, Deutsches Zent f.Luft-u.Raumfahrt eV (W), Germany
- Michele Gianella, Sensirion AG, Switzerland
- Borislav Hinkov, Silicon Austria Labs GmbH, Austria
- Jane Hodgkinson, Cranfield University, United Kingdom
- Rand Ismaeel, University of Southampton, United Kingdom
- Jana Jágerská, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Norway
- Dennis Killinger, University of South Florida, United States
- Wei Ren, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Lukasz Sterczewski, Politechnika Wroclawska, Poland
- Béla Tuzson, EMPA, Switzerland
- Eleanor Waxman, NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, United States
- Eric Zhang, IBM TJ Watson Research Center, United States
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Topic Categories
Hyperspectral/Multispectral Imaging and Sounding of the Environment (HISE)
HISE seeks presentations of innovations in hyperspectral and multispectral instrumentation, technology development, data analysis and applications for imaging and sounding of the environment.
Topics of Interest
- Atmospheric Sensing and Sounding
- Atmospheric measurements and their applications
- Modeling and compensation for atmospheric effects
- Air pollution and air quality monitoring
- Weather prediction and climate modeling
- Aquatic Remote Sensing
- Water quality monitoring in inland and coastal waters
- Phytoplankton functional group and species discrimination
- Harmful algal bloom monitoring
- Determination of concentrations of physical and biological constituents in water
- Bottom type and bottom depth determination in shallow water environments
- Terrestrial Remote Sensing
- Precision agriculture
- Species discrimination and mapping of vegetation in forests and wetlands
- Soil studies, including soil classification, soil moisture content and trafficability
- High-resolution imaging for urban planning and development
- Radiative Transfer Modeling
- New approaches for computationally efficient and fast radiative transfer modeling
- Vector radiative transfer modeling using hyperspectral and polarimetric data
- Fast radiative transfer through dimensionality reduction and machine learning approaches
- Image Processing, Algorithm Development and Machine Learning
- Innovative signal and digital image processing techniques including image segmentation, pattern recognition and neural networks
- High-resolution data analysis using artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques
- Dimensionality reduction and information content analysis
- Fusion with active or passive sensors and visualization algorithms
- Spectral inversion techniques such as unmixing, deconvolution, derivatives, optimal estimation and spectral fingerprinting
- Industrial Applications
- Imaging and sensing applications in the mining, oil and gas industries
- High-resolution imaging for industrial quality analysis, process control and material identification
- Imaging and sensing technologies for food adulteration monitoring
- Incident Response and Monitoring Applications
- Environmental changes due to pandemics, hurricanes and other natural disasters
- Thermal sensing of wildfires and volcanoes
- Deployment of imaging technologies for rapid response to natural disasters/events
- Sensor Development
- New hyperspectral/multispectral imager design, development and sensor characterization
- Planned and recently launched operational imaging and/or sounding systems
- Observing system simulation experiments
- Active hyperspectral imaging and LiDAR
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Plenary Speakers
Hidetoshi Katori
The University of Tokyo, Japan
From High Precision to Innovation: Optical Lattice Clocks for Future Applications
Optica Distinguished Lecture Series on Quantum Science and Technology
Optical lattice clocks achieve 18-digit accuracy, enabling chronometric leveling and paving the way for redefining the second. Advances in compact clock designs, long-distance clock comparisons and continuous interrogation techniques will facilitate their real-world implementation.
About the Speaker
Hidetoshi Katori, born 27 September 1964, is a Japanese physicist and professor at the University of Tokyo best known for having invented the magic wavelength technique for ultra-precise optical lattice atomic clocks. Since 2011, Katori is also Chief Scientist at the Quantum Metrology Lab, RIKEN.
Recently, Katori's group performed a measurement of gravitational redshift with two transportable strontium optical lattice clocks over nearly the entire height of the Tokyo Skytree, setting a new record for the best ground-based test of general relativity.
Florian Schreck
University of Amsterdam
Continuous Bose-Einstein Condensation and Optical Clocks
Continuous instead of pulsed operation of optical clocks promises a hundred-fold increased measurement bandwidth. On our path to this goal, we achieved continuous Bose-Einstein condensation [Nature 606, 683 (2022)] and build continuously operating optical clocks.
About the Speaker
Prof. Florian Schreck (University of Amsterdam) works on quantum sensors and simulators based on ultracold strontium gases. His research group recently achieved continuous Bose-Einstein condensation, a great starting point for future continuous atom lasers that could be useful for atom interferometry. Using techniques created for that work, his group is developing a new generation of optical clocks, continuously operating superradiant and zero-deadtime clocks. Other projects include the study of ultracold RbSr molecules and quantum simulations using arrays of Rydberg-coupled single Sr atoms. He coordinates the Quantum Delta NL Ultracold Quantum Sensing Testbed and the EU’s AQuRA transportable optical clock project. He is CEO of OpticsFoundry, which has the mission to make optical circuits for quantum devices easy to design, procure and operate.
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Invited Speakers
- Sunil Baidar, NOAA Chemical Sciences Laboratory, United States
Airborne Doppler Lidar Measurements of Boundary Layer Dynamics: From Coastal Urban Areas to Wildfires - Carolin Bauer, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
Single-Cavity Dual-Comb Optical Parametric Oscillators for High-Sensitivity Spectroscopy - Rohit Bhartia, Photon Systems, United States
Deep UV Spectroscopy: From Ancient Lake Bed on Mars to Water Quality sensors on Earth - Simone Borri, Istituto Nanoscienze CNR - Modena, Italy
Exploring the Sensitivity and Resolution of Cavity-Enhanced Photoacoustic Sensors - Sean Coburn, University of Colorado Boulder, United States
Dual Comb Spectroscopy Measurements of Methane Destruction Efficiency: Application Towards Natural Gas Flare Monitoring - Ryan Cole, Bates College, United States
Frequency Comb Spectroscopy in High-Pressure, High-Temperature Environments - Mircea Guina, Tampereen Teknillinen Yliopisto, Finland
Diode Laser Technology (2-3 µm) and PICs for Sensing - Thomas Kelly, University of Southampton, United Kingdom
- Jiqiao Liu, Shanghai Inst of Optics and Fine Mech, China
Spaceborne ACDL Lidar Development and the Global CO2 Column Concentrations and Aerosol Profiles Accurate Monitoring - Elizabeth Lunny, Aerodyne Research Inc, United States
Mobile Deployments of a Fast, Sensitive Hydrogen Monitor - Scott Spuler, National Center for Atmospheric Research, United States
Advances in Semiconductor-Based Lidar for Thermodynamic Profiling of the Lower Atmosphere - David Stothard, Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics, United Kingdom
Range-Resolved, Stand-Off Molecular Sensing using in Single-Photon 'Quantum' Raman Spectroscopy - Tomoko Takahashi, Japan Agency Marine-Earth Sci & Tech, Japan
In Situ Raman Spectrometers for Deep Sea Environmental Monitoring - Markku Vainio, Helsingin Yliopisto, Finland
In-Situ Aerosol Measurements Using Cantilever-Enhanced Photoacoustic Sensing - Alex Valavanis, University of Leeds, United Kingdom
Terahertz Quantum-Cascade Laser Instrumentation for Atmospheric Gas Sensing - Haoyun Wei, Tsinghua University, China
Dual-Comb Method for Broadband Cavity-Enhanced Absorption Spectroscopy and Coherent Raman Spectroscopy - Mark Zondlo, Princeton University, United States
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Industry Program
The Industry Program will address disruptive projects and applications as a result of talent drain and transformative processes.
During the 2025 Industry Program, topics discussed at Toulouse 2024 will be expanded, and new topics will be added. However, the program is only the tip of the iceberg for interested attendees. These sessions encourage dialogue, vision, know-how and guidance.
This content model was enthusiastically received by the 500 participants at Toulouse 2024.
Background
We will focus on news, challenges, applications, opportunities and scalability in emerging technologies on a system or component level.
Johannes Kunsch, the Optica Sensing Congress Industry Chair answers the question: What is specific to the Optica Sensing Congress? It is not only a look at the science behind the talks, but also the networking and work-ready inspiration.
Objectives
The goal of the Industry Program is to pave the road toward substantial future growth and give orientation. There is great momentum in the optical sensing industry. This momentum should continue to grow and make optical sensing a preferred career path. The industry team decided to focus mostly on Infrared Photonic Circuits and Biomedical Infrared Spectroscopy and highlights the role of AI.
Chairs
Johannes Kunsch
Laser Components Germany GmbH, Germany,
Industry Chair
Borislav Hinkov
Silicon Austria Labs GmbH, Austria,
Industry Co-Chair
Committee
Johannes Kunsch, LASER COMPONENTS Germany GmbH, Germany, General Chair
Borislav Hinkov, Silicon Austria Labs, Austria, Co-Chair
Amber Czajkowski, Alluxa Inc., USA, Co-Chair
Shankar Baliga, LASER COMPONENTS Detector Group Inc., USA
Kurt Hochrein, Dexter Research Center, USA
Timothy Olsen, Omega Optical, USA
Industry Session I
Wednesday, 23 July 16:00 - 17:00
Speakers
Johannes Kunsch, LASER COMPONENTS Germany GmbH, Germany
Tarek Eissa, LMU München, Germany
Mihaela Zigman, LMU München, Germany
Mehdi Asghari, SiLC Technologies, USA
Borislav Hinkov, Silicon Austria Labs, Austria
Matthias Budden, Wired Sense, Germany
Ryszard Piramidowicz, VIGO Photonics, Poland
Mircea Guina, Tampereen Teknillinen Yliopisto, Finland
Werner Mäntele, DiaMonTech AG, Germany
Industry Session II
Thursday, 24 July 10:00 - 11:00
Speakers
Tarek Eissa, LMU München, Germany
Mihaela Zigman, LMU München, Germany
Matthias Budden, Wired Sense, Germany
Mircea Guina, Tampereen Teknillinen Yliopisto, Finland
Werner Mäntele, DiaMonTech AG, Germany
