| Image Credit: S.K. Sundaram |
The UN General Council named 2022 the UN International Year of Glass (IYoG) to celebrate the versatile material's essential role in society. Glass has enabled countless scientific and cultural advancements, and this year, IYoG events worldwide are drawing attention to its rich heritage and promising future.
Glass and light science have long been intertwined, and, as the September cover story of Optica's magazine Optics & Photonics News illustrates, the relationship between lasers and glass has been a particularly productive one. In the story, S.K. Sundaram, Alfred University, USA, examines how glass has contributed to the development of lasers-and how ultrafast lasers have in turn transformed glass science and made new applications possible. Femtosecond (and even shorter) laser pulses have opened new frontiers in the study and use of glass, including writing into glasses, changing glass structure without thermal treatment, inducing 3D crystallization and overcoming diffusion.
Further advances in ultrafast science from facilities like Europe's Extreme Light Infrastructure will provide even greater insight into the nature of glass, perhaps at last allowing scientists to solve the mystery of the liquid-to-glass transition. |
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| Image Credit: Courtesy of Geophysical Laboratory Archives, Carnegie Institution of Washington |
| As featured in the January 2016 issue of OPN, learn how the demands of World War I transformed the optical-glass industry. The article also explores how Frederick Wright, one of the first presidents of OSA (now Optica), contributed to changing the industry. |
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| Image Credit: Optica |
| Creating a resume can be difficult. Many people leverage a career professional to aid them with the construction of their resume. Leveraging a third party provides a plethora of benefits. |
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| Image Credit: Scott Action, Ball Aerospace |
| Featured in the 2022 July Optica blog, Scott Acton and his team at Ball Aerospace, were responsible for the Wavefront Sensing and Controls commissioning process for the James Webb Space Telescope. Acton's plenary presentation at the 2022 Optica's Imaging and Applied Optics Congress described the process from the initial deployment of the optics to the final alignment of the mirrors. |
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 Image Credit: Jun Shan Wey |
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| Optica Fellow Spotlight |
| 2022 Fellow Jun Shan Wey believes young scientists should have a creative outlet that broadens the mind outside the lab. Learn more about Shan and the cutting-edge technologies she explores in this month's Fellow Profile. |
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| Image Credit: Getty Images |
| As Featured in the 2022 July Optica Blog, ensuring our colleagues and collaborators in optics thrive depends on each of us staying emotionally, financially, mentally, and physically healthy. For many, the month of August offers an opportunity for some time off and out of the office. The chance to take a break from email, connect with family, friends, and nature - prioritizing personal well-being. What are you doing this month to connect with yourself and others in our community? |
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 Image Credit: Optica |
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Frontier in Optics + Laser Science
16-20 October 2022
Rochester, NY |
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| Elections Now Open |
| Shape the future of Optica by casting your vote in this year's election for Vice President and two Directors-at-Large. Less than 30 days remain before the election closes on Friday, 16 September. Read more about the candidates by visiting our website. |
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| OFC Call for Papers |
Abstract and Submission Deadline: 18 October 2022
Receive the global exposure and high-quality programs with the platform needed to get in front of the audience and coverage by 100+ media outlets. |
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