| Image Credit: ESA / NASA] |
In November 2023, an optical clock was put into Earth orbit for the first time, as part of the final module of China’s Tiangong space station. Although few details are available about the new clock, which is designed to convert the radiation from a group of strontium atoms into exceptionally accurate “ticks,” the successful docking represents a milestone in timekeeping.
Getting these sensitive clocks into orbit is a challenge—one that scientists are pursuing a variety of avenues to overcome. The cover story in the January 2024 issue of Optica’s Optics and Photonics News (OPN) considers that quest, and the potentially transformative opportunities presented by placing optical clocks in space, for areas ranging from metrology to satellite navigation to testing general relativity. |
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| Image Credit: Peter Leibinger. [Image: Trumpf Group] |
| Optica’s Optics & Photonics News (OPN) talked with Peter Leibinger, a key figure at the laser and machine tools giant Trumpf Group. After years as the company’s chief technology officer, Leibinger recently moved to a new role as chair of its supervisory board, which oversees the firm’s strategic planning. Learn more about his significant accomplishments in the optics and photonics industry. |
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| Image Credit: Moritz Floess and Simon Angstenberger, 4th Physics Institute at University of Stuttgart in Germany |
| In a new study published in Optics Letters, researchers describe how they created a hybrid laser that combines the compactness, robustness and low cost of fiber-based lasers with the advantages of crystal-based solid-state lasers, which can have a broad range of properties such as different powers and colors. |
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| Image Credit: Optica Foundation |
| Optica Foundation Challenge yields research toward technologies that can more rapidly monitor for nanoplastics in soil and water and detect greenhouse gases. |
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 Image Credit: Porras-Aguilar |
| Senior Member Insights |
| OPN talks with Rosario Porras-Aguilar, an assistant professor in the department of physics and optical science at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA. Discover her outstanding achievements. |
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 Image Credit: Ching-Hwa Ho |
| Fellow Insight—Innovation |
| Optica Fellow Ching-Hwa Ho believes that embracing challenges and conquering the fear of failure is the key to personal and professional growth. As a dedicated mentor, he encourages his students to work hard, but also to enjoy their successes. |
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 Image Credit: Optica |
| Connect with Colleagues |
| With thousands of attendees and hundreds of exhibitors from more than 70 countries, OFC is the largest conference for the optical communications and networking industry. |
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 Image Credit: Optica |
| Present Your Research |
| The Optica Imaging Congress, co-located with the Optica Sensing Congress, will provide a comprehensive view of the latest imaging and applied optical sciences. |
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