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01 September 2020
Role of Flat Optics in Structuring Light and Observation of Gravitational Waves Topics of Plenary Talks for the All-Virtual OSA FiO + LS Conference
Federico Capasso and Nergis Mavalvala to Headline Plenaries
WASHINGTON – New orbital angular momentum (OAM) states of light and the detection of gravitational waves and quantum measurement science will highlight plenary talks at the all-virtual OSA Frontiers in Optics + Laser Science APS/DLS (FiO + LS) Conference taking place 14 – 17 September 2020 Eastern Daylight Time Zone (EDT). The conference is free for registrants.
Gravitational wave astrophysics provides a radically different window into the universe. Nergis Mavalvala, Dean of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) School of Science, USA, will describe the gravitational waves, ripples in spacetime, detected by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO). Her plenary talk will also spotlight experiments on squeezed states of light that can be used to enhance LIGO's sensitivity and laser cooling and trapping of macroscopic objects to enable observation of quantum phenomena in human-scale systems.
Control of light’s angular momentum from lasers has remained elusive. In his talk, “Structuring Light with Flat Optics,” Federico Capasso, Robert Wallace Professor of Applied Physics, Harvard University, USA, will discuss recent work on spin to total orbital angular momentum (OAM) converters including high OAM lasing, flat devices that enable light’s spin and OAM to evolve from one state to another. This work has applications in quantum communication, optical tweezing, and microscopy.
The plenary programs will take place 15 and 16 September, 12:30 - 13:30 EDT.
Visionary speakers include Elizabeth Baron, Enterprise Solutions Executive, Unity Technologies, USA; Nathalie Picqué, Research Scientist, Max-Planck Institute of Quantum Optics, Germany; Shaul Mukamel, Distinguished Professor, University of California, Irvine, USA; Mikhail Lukin, George Vasmer Leverett Professor of Physics, Harvard University, USA; and Michael Escuti, Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder, ImagineOptix, USA. The visionary talks are scheduled for 14 – 17 September.
Additional presentations from leaders in the field are focused on the two conference themes: Quantum Technologies (in conjunction with the all-virtual OSA Quantum 2.0 Conference) and Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality (AR/VR).
The conference, originally planned as an in-person event, has been transitioned to an all-virtual, web conference format to ensure registrants have access to the high-quality, peer-reviewed technical program. Technical sessions will be presented live from the Eastern Daylight Time Zone (EDT) with a recorded archive available later for on-demand viewing.
Conference registration is now open and free for participants.
About FiO + LS
Frontiers in Optics is The Optical Society’s (OSA) 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 OSA 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.
About The Optical Society
The Optical Society (OSA) is dedicated to promoting the generation, application, archiving, and dissemination of knowledge in optics and photonics worldwide. Founded in 1916, it is the leading organization for scientists, engineers, business professionals, students, and others interested in the science of light. OSA’s renowned publications, meetings, online resources, and in-person activities fuel discoveries, shape real-life applications and accelerate scientific, technical, and educational achievement.
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