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All Things Photonics

All Things Photonicswww.photonics.com
From space exploration and quantum optics, to biomedical imaging and defense, today’s top scientific minds are using lasers, spectroscopy, sensors, and optics to deliver cutting-edge innovation to our society. In intimate conversations with those pushing the boundaries of human knowledge, “All Things Photonics” spotlights photonics industry progress from beyond the lab. Hear how 3D printed microscopes — and those developed for a fraction of the cost — offer our best hope for diagnosing disease in the developing world; why spectroscopy might be the most valuable tool in the crime scene technicians’ arsenal; how light can motorize drug delivery; and how the quantum cascade laser, CMOS image sensor, and robot-assisted surgery became realities. Notable guests include Nobel Prize winner Donna Strickland; Columbia University Eugene Higgins Professor of Electrical Engineering Michal Lipson; inventor of the CMOS image sensor Eric Fossum; serial entrepreneur Jason Eichenholz; co-namesake of the Hockney Falco Thesis Charles Falco; and SPIE President and founder of the Vanderbilt Biophotonics Center Anita Mahadevan-Jansen. “All Things Photonics”® is produced by Photonics Media and airs biweekly, on Tuesdays. The podcast was a shortlisted finalist in two categories — Best Science & Medical Podcast and Best Technology Podcast — for The Publishers Podcast Awards in 2021. It has again earned shortlist honors in the Best Science and Medical Podcast category for 2022. Contact us at Allthings@photonics.com.
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Episodes

The LaserNetUS Consortium — A Podcast of High Intensity with Chandra Breanne Curry

Chandra Breanne Curry, coordinator of the LaserNetUS consortium, offers insights into high-intensity laser systems, supported applications, and an update on fusion science. The 10-system consortium supports research across disciplines, from biomedical science to plasma physics. Miriam Vitiello, director of research at the National Research Council of Italy, professor of condensed matter physics at the Scuola Normale Superiore, and co-author of "The 2017 Terahertz Science and Technology Roadmap,"...

Apr 26, 202232 minSeason 5Ep. 6

Photonic Supercomputing — With Michael Hochberg and Marcus Gomez

Silicon photonics pioneer and President of Luminous Computing Michael Hochberg joins Luminous’ CEO Marcus Gomez for a conversation about advancing AI supercomputing. The company’s photonic approach is supported by a recently announced $105 million Series A award from investors including Bill Gates. A second segment revisits the notion of sending invertebrate organisms into space with help from optical components and devices. Sponsored by: COMSOL - www.comsol.com "All Things Photonics" is produce...

Apr 12, 202233 minSeason 5Ep. 5

Advances in Terahertz Optoelectronics — With Mona Jarrahi

UCLA researcher Mona Jarrahi breaks down critical achievements in the terahertz domain, with particular focus on terahertz optoelectronics. Biomedical, plasmonic, and imaging applications are explored, as are commercial pursuits. In advance of the inaugural Photonics Spectra Spectroscopy conference April 12-13, Richard Crocombe, principal at Crocombe Spectroscopy Consulting, and Ellen Miseo, president of the Coblentz Society, introduce listeners to the event program and individual sessions. Spon...

Mar 29, 202231 minSeason 5Ep. 4

Inside the Vintage Laser Archives — With Bob Hess

Bob Hess, one of the world’s leading collectors of lasers, laser accessories, and holograms, takes us through his exhibit, "Vintage Lasers & Holograms," on now in Tempe, Ariz. Hess is a career holographer and photonics technician, and his collection features more than 500 lasers and upward of 600 holograms. Also, a check-in with the University of Southampton's Pearl John to discuss the artform of holography and its ties to photonics outreach and education. "All Things Photonics" is produced ...

Mar 15, 202228 minSeason 5Ep. 3

Directed Energy Arrays — And Nematodes in Space Part II — With Philip Lubin and Joel Rothman

Building on the first episode of the season, University of California, Santa Barbara scientists Philip Lubin and Joel Rothman discuss Project Starlight, a NASA project that intends to send microscopic worms — among other creatures — into space. Lubin, the brainpower behind the directed energy facet of the project, identifies the considerable photonic advances that must be made before achieving atmospheric flight. "All Things Photonics" is produced by Photonics Media and airs biweekly, on Tuesday...

Mar 01, 202244 minSeason 5Ep. 2

Displays, Waveguide Optics — And Nematodes in Space? — With Jonas Zeuner and Joel Rothman

2022 SPIE Startup Challenge winner VitreaLab's glass-based waveguides are innovating the lighting and displays sector. Back from Photonics West (Jan. 2022), company CEO Jonas Zeuner details VitreaLab's laser writing technology and what it means for liquid crystal displays. In a preview of an upcoming episode, University of California, Santa Barbara scientist Joel Rothman discusses the biological implications of a directed energy interstellar project that proposes to launch invertebrate organisms...

Feb 15, 202229 minSeason 5Ep. 1

Explorations of the Quantum Cascade Laser — with Jerome Faist

Jerome Faist, co-inventor of the quantum cascade laser (QCL), reflects on nearly 30 years’ worth of innovations in semiconductor lasing and the history of the QCL. Faist discusses applications in the terahertz and mid-infrared bands, frequency comb spectroscopy, and ultrashort-pulse lasing. Plus, how did the QCL get its name? All Things Photonics is produced by Photonics Media and airs biweekly, on Tuesdays. Contact us at allthings@photonics.com ....

Dec 28, 202124 minSeason 4Ep. 6

All Things Quantum Sensing — with Kevin Cox

The electromagnetic environment in which today’s soldiers operate is the focus of this episode, which features our discussion with physicist Kevin Cox from DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory. The advent of quantum sensors — and the applications that emerge in our conversation — range from magnetometry and accelerometry to the interferometric detection of celestial objects and chip-scale atomic timekeeping. All Things Photonics is produced by Photonics Media and airs biweekly, on Tuesdays. Contact u...

Dec 14, 202127 minSeason 4Ep. 5

The Lidar Boom — with Jason Eichenholz

Serial entrepreneur and co-founder and CTO of Luminar Technologies Jason Eichenholz discusses the company’s technology, and shares his thoughts on lidar’s surge into the mainstream. The interview examines Luminar’s acquisition of its exclusive InGaAs chip provider, the (near) future of autonomous driving, and the optics and photonics industries’ technical workforce shortage. All Things Photonics is produced by Photonics Media and airs biweekly, on Tuesdays. Contact us at Allthings@photonics.com ...

Nov 30, 202127 minSeason 4Ep. 4

At the Intersection of Optics and Art — with Charles Falco

Experimental physicist Charles Falco expounds on the thesis that bears his name, and gives insight into his relationship with the acclaimed artist David Hockney — with whom he shares the thesis’s title. A panel composed of Alejandro Manjavacas, Silvia Centeno, and Andrea Schlather discuss the evolution of their co-authored 2019 paper that investigates the plasmonic properties of daguerreotype images. All Things Photonics is produced by Photonics Media and airs biweekly, on Tuesdays. Contact us a...

Nov 16, 202124 minSeason 4Ep. 3

Surgical and Vision-Guided Robotics — with Moshe Safran and Russell Taylor

Moshe Safran, CEO of RSIP Vision US, speaks on the intersection of computer vision, AI, and medical-guided robotics. Johns Hopkins University’s Russell Taylor gives a macro look at surgical robotics — a field with implications for photoacoustic imaging, OCT, confocal microscopy, and other imaging modalities. All Things Photonics is produced by Photonics Media and airs biweekly, on Tuesdays. Contact us at allthings@photonics.com .

Nov 02, 202133 minSeason 4Ep. 2

Light-Activated Molecular Machines — with Ivan Aprahamian

Ivan Aprahamian, author of the 2020 ACS Central Science paper "The Future of Molecular Machines," kicks off Season 4 with a look at recent advancements to light-activated molecular motors. Applications include smart drug delivery and nanomedicine, applied spectroscopy, functional materials, and more. Nick Vamivakas, University of Rochester professor of quantum optics and quantum physics, discusses how to build a quantum workforce: How do we educate its future members, what will they do, and how ...

Oct 19, 202134 minSeason 4Ep. 1

John Harvey: A Test (and Measure) of the Global Photonics Ecosystem

In the season's final episode, John Harvey, founder and CEO of Southern Photonics, shares his journey from nuclear physics to biophotonics, and from lasers to test and measurement equipment. The state of the photonics industry in Australia and New Zealand is among the points of discussion. Rohit Bhargava, Founder Professor of Engineering and director of the Cancer Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, talks about a new technique for solid-tissue imaging that relies on the mic...

Jun 22, 202144 minSeason 3Ep. 11

Matthieu Baudelet: Forensic Spectroscopic Tire Chemical Analysis

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy is the technology behind a newly developed forensic technique for tire chemical analysis. University of Central Florida’s Matthieu Baudelet, who introduced the method in a recent Applied Spectroscopy paper, explains the approach and how it is poised to enhance crime scene investigation. Pierre Türschmann, CEO of Interherence, talks about how the company is working to resolve the bottleneck of reproducibility in microscopy. Sponsored by: PerkinElmer - www.Perk...

Jun 08, 202147 minSeason 3Ep. 10

Bishnu Pal: A Guide Through Guided Wave Optics

Bishnu Pal, author of "Frontiers in Guided Wave Optics and Optoelectronics" and dean of academics at Mahindra University's Ecole Centrale School of Engineering, is our guest. From his start in semiconductor physics to numerous collaborations in the areas of fiber optics, silicon photonics, specialty fibers, and optical materials, Pal walks us through his journey in optics and photonics, which earlier this year saw him recognized with the SPIE Maria J. Yzuel Educator Award in recognition of four ...

May 25, 202144 minSeason 3Ep. 9

Claudio Mazzali: On OSA and the Future of Fiber

Claudio Mazzali, CTO and senior vice president of technology at Corning Optical Communications, is our guest. The 2020 elected fellow of The Optical Society (OSA) guides listeners through an unprecedented 15-month period for optical technology, and shares his thoughts on what to expect from large-scale organizations such as OSA as they reemerge from the pandemic. Trends for a bright future in nanomaterials, hollow- and novel-core fibers, and optical fibers conclude the episode. All Things Photon...

May 11, 202141 minSeason 3Ep. 8

Eric Fossum: The CMOS Sensor’s ‘Epic’ Journey

Eric Fossum, inventor of the CMOS active pixel image sensor, talks about the past, present, and future of imaging applications and the technology transfer in industry and academia. CEOs Berthold Schmidt (TRUMPF Photonic Components) and Adam Piotrowski (VIGO Systems), the two newest board members of the European Photonics Industry Consortium (EPIC), speak about their new platform and spurring photonics innovation. All Things Photonics is produced by Photonics Media and airs biweekly, on Tuesdays....

Apr 27, 202141 minSeason 3Ep. 7

Thomas Battley: Optics in the Driver’s Seat (in Western NY and Beyond)

Western New York (specifically, the city of Rochester) is a globally recognized hub for optics, photonics, and imaging innovation. From titans Kodak and Xerox to an industry’s reemergence from a global pandemic, New York Photonics’ Executive Director Thomas Battley discusses how one industry (specifically, one cluster) blends contributions from industry, academia, and government to drive economic growth and scientific progress. Sponsored by: PerkinElmer - www.PerkinElmer.com All Things Photonics...

Apr 13, 202138 minSeason 3Ep. 6

Gregory Quarles: Directed Energy – Dual Usage and the Transfer of Technology

Greg Quarles, former OSA chief scientific officer and current CEO of Applied Energetics, takes us beyond the defense sector and the combatting of threats along the electromagnetic spectrum, outlining current applications in directed energy. Tom Nugent, CTO and co-founder of PowerLight Technologies, talks optical power beaming - a technology that is closer than you think. Sponsored by: PerkinElmer - www.PerkinElmer.com All Things Photonics is produced by Photonics Media and airs biweekly, on Tues...

Mar 30, 202149 minSeason 3Ep. 5

Ursula Gibson: Novel Core Optical Fibers and Materials

2019 President of The Optical Society and Fulbright Scholar Ursula Gibson details her latest work with novel core optical fibers and their function in expanding applications spanning metrology, optical communication, and optoelectronics. Nick Harris, founder and CEO of supercomputing company Lightmatter, talks about silicon-driven advances in all-optical computing and Lightmatter’s photonic computing platform. Sponsored by: COMSOL - www.comsol.com All Things Photonics is produced by Photonics Me...

Mar 16, 202139 minSeason 3Ep. 4

Nathalie Picque: From Frequency Combs to Holography — and Everything in Between

Frequency combs have revolutionized time and frequency metrology, making stops along the way to key developments in optical clocks, and, as it turns out, broadband spectroscopy. In a conversation that veers from interferometry to holography, and optoelectronics to solid-state lasing, Nathalie Picque from Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics shares insights about her latest research. UCLA's Aydogan Ozcan is back for the second part of a conversation about "Terahertz pulse shaping using diffrac...

Mar 02, 202152 minSeason 3Ep. 3

Dirk Englund: Quantum Photonics: Breakthroughs and Limitations

The latest in quantum computing and quantum optics is our focus, as Dirk Englund from MIT's Quantum Photonics Laboratory shares his insights on the latest in materials processing, PICS, photonics entrepreneurship, and more. UCLA's Aydogan Ozcan talks about his latest work, "Terahertz pulse shaping using diffractive surfaces," in Part One of a two-part segment. Sponsored by: MKS Instruments - www.newport.com Hamamatsu Corporation - www.hamamatsu.com All Things Photonics is produced by Photonics M...

Feb 16, 202142 minSeason 3Ep. 2

Jess Wade: OLED Displays, Chirality, and Equity

Jess Wade from Imperial College London’s Blackett Laboratory kicks off Season 3 with expert insights on OLEDs, chiral materials, and the not-so-clear-cut relationship between science and equity. Through the lens of SPIE’s very first Diversity Outreach Award winner, listeners will enjoy a candid conversation on topics ranging from polymer conjugation to breaking biases in STEM and beyond. Sponsored by: MKS Instruments - www.newport.com Hamamatsu Corporation - www.hamamatsu.com All Things Photonic...

Feb 02, 202147 minSeason 3Ep. 1

Chunlei Guo: Femtosecond Lasing: Applications and Innovations

Chunlei Guo, from the High-Intensity Femtosecond Laser Laboratory in the Institute of Optics at the University of Rochester, discusses his work in laser processing, leading to the discovery of highly functionalized materials. Guo's research, including with black and colored metals, is addressing societal issues including global access to clean water. Chrys Panayiotou, executive director of LASER-TEC, joins us to talk about developing a highly skilled optics and photonics workforce. Sponsored by:...

Dec 15, 202044 minSeason 2Ep. 7

Ian Walmsley: Unlocking a Quantum Advantage: Supercomputing, Sensing, and Optics

Quantum information processing has arrived at the cutting edge. Ian Walmsley, elected fellow of the esteemed Royal Society and provost of Imperial College London, guides us through the narrative of the field — from information processing and computing, to the evolution of science education and industry. Manos Anyfantakis, from the University of Luxembourg’s Experimental Soft Matter Physics group, shares his team’s latest breakthrough: achieving structural colors, with applications in biobased se...

Dec 01, 202052 minSeason 2Ep. 6

Anita Mahadevan-Jansen: Biomedical Optics and Lasers and Light

Vice president of the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE) Anita Mahadevan-Jansen shares her journey in and throughout biomedical imaging and biophotonics, including the discovery of infrared neural stimulation - and working alongside her husband. Garrett Cole, from Thorlabs Crystalline Solutions, stops by to chat about limiting quantum noise in laser beams, high-precision optics, and his presentation in the upcoming Photonics Spectra Conference. Sponsored by: Coherent Inc. - ww...

Nov 17, 202058 minSeason 2Ep. 5

Andreas Tuennermann: Laser Systems, Fiber Technology, and Photonics Startups

Andreas Tuennermann, head of the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering, discusses his work with fiber lasers, quantum applications, and manufacturing in a global pandemic. Alejandro Manjavacas, from the Theoretical Photonics Group at the University of New Mexico, stops by with insights into two distinctly different projects: one with the Metropolitan Museum of Art and one with Los Alamos National Laboratory. Sponsored by: COMSOL - www.comsol.com PI (Physik Instrumente...

Nov 03, 202058 minEp. 11

Manu Prakash (Part 2): Dinner Table Microscopy, (Not) Knowing It All, and Science Education

Part 2 of our conversation with MacArthur Fellow Manu Prakash, who takes us inside his lab at Stanford and sheds light on the value of all that we don’t know. Episode 3 concludes with Sujatha Ramanujan, managing director of the Luminate Accelerator, and an assurance that there is no better time to innovate in our field of photonics. Sponsored by: COMSOL - www.comsol.com Photonics Spectra Conference - www.PhotonicsSpectraConference.com All Things Photonics is produced by Photonics Media and airs ...

Oct 20, 202042 minSeason 2Ep. 3

Manu Prakash (Part 1): Frugal Science, for Love of the Mundane, and 1 Million Foldscopes (and Counting)

Frugal science and the Foldscope microscope are among the topics we discuss with Manu Prakash, in part 1 of our multiweek conversation with the Unilever Colworth Prize recipient and MacArthur Fellow, who joins us from Stanford University. Prakash recounts the road to putting high-level microscopes in the hands of more than 1 million users around the world, as well as his earliest scientific memories. We also explore science’s role in our current global pandemic situation and how a problem-solvin...

Oct 06, 202037 minSeason 2Ep. 2

Michal Lipson: Silicon Photonics in the Fast Lane, Light on a Chip, and 20-Plus Years of Innovation

OSA Vice President-elect and silicon photonics pioneer Michal Lipson launches Season 2 with a discussion on the evolution of silicon photonics technologies, her professional influences, and the emerging role of silicon photonics in AR, quantum computing, and beyond. Later, we’re joined by Photonics Media Senior Editor Dan McCarthy for his thoughts on our industry’s value chain and how we aim to reflect it in our flagship publication, Photonics Spectra. Sponsored by: MKS Instruments - www.newport...

Sep 22, 202035 minSeason 2Ep. 1
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