CREOL at 25: A Full Spectrum of Achievements

A quarter-century ago, the Florida legislature funded an optics center to diversify the economy of the state’s central region. Today, it has grown into a full-fledged photonics college known for world-class research.

by Patricia Daukantas

Freeform Optical Surfaces: Report from OSA’s First Incubator Meeting

Just as business incubator programs are designed to support the development of fledgling companies, OSA’s new incubator meeting series is structured to encourage the growth of exciting new areas within optics. The first one was devoted to the topic of freeform optics—a field that is actively evolving due to recent technological advances.

by Kevin P. Thompson, Pablo Benítez and Jannick P. Rolland

Aden Meinel: Astronomer, Optical Scientist, Founder and Scholar

Aden Meinel was the founding director of the University of Arizona Optical Sciences Center and the Kitt Peak National Observatory. With his wife and research partner, Marjorie, he also developed next-generation space-telescope concepts and pioneered the use of solar energy.

by Kristin Waller

Career Focus

Graduate-Level Internships in Industry

Industry internships can give graduate students a valuable learning experience that is quite different from their work in academia.

Opportunities and Trends in Optoelectronic Manufacturing

A recent workshop organized by the Optoelectronics Industry Development Association (OIDA) highlighted key challenges and opportunities facing photonics manufacturers today.

Viewpoint

Reflecting on Career/Life Balance

As our lifestyles become more complex, all of us—whether men or women—must develop strategies to balance our career with our personal lives.

Optical Engineering

Filtering Wavefront Maps Improves Uncertainty Estimates

Wavefront maps typically contain both relevant and non-relevant information. Removing the extraneous data helps engineers to estimate uncertainties more accurately.

Global Optics

Optics Research in the Russian Suburbs

Russia is known as a global leader in optics research. What’s surprising is the amount of cutting-edge research being conducted outside major city centers. Sergey Chekalin refl ects on the history of optics in Russia and describes his experience working on new optics technologies at Troitsk’s Institute of Spectroscopy

Conversations in Optics

OPN Talks with David Williams

Our conversation with David Williams, medical optics leader and FiO keynote speaker.

Education

What Can a Student Chapter Accomplish in Five Years? A lot!

On the fifth anniversary of the CIOp-UNLP OSA/SPIE student chapter, a founding member looks back on its accomplishments and encourages others to start a chapter at their own university.

Reflections in Diversity

A Formula for Success

Scientists often struggle with how to improve diversity in their field, in part because the problem seems overwhelmingly complex and multi-faceted. Here we attempt to lead women, minorities and others toward success using the tool that many physicists love best: the equation.

Scatterings

Tabletop Supercontinuum X-Ray Source

An international team of scientists has developed a tabletop device that produces coherent bursts of shortwavelength radiation.

Scatterings

Quantum Computing Closer to Practical

In a development that brings practical quantum computers closer to reality, a team of researchers demonstrated that they could create heralded single photons from a CMOS-compatible silicon chip operating at room temperature in the near-infrared.

Scatterings

Graphene Used to Make Sensitive Photon Detector

Researchers have developed a bolometer using bilayer graphene with a bandgap tuned by electric fields.

Conversations in Optics

OPN Talks with Marlan O. Scully

Our conversation with Marlan O. Scully, "Quantum Cowboy" and Frederic Ives Medal/Jarus W. Quinn Prize recipient.

Scatterings

Making an RGB Laser from Quantum Dots

Researchers at Brown University (U.S.A.) create a single-material laser that provides red, green or blue laser light.

Scatterings

Nanotubes Soak Up the Near-Infrared Sun

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (U.S.A.) have devised an all-carbon, near-infrared photovoltaic cell filled with single-walled nanotubes.

In Memory

In Memory

Remembering Andrei Brunfeld and OSA Fellow Emeritus Terrill A. Cool.

President's Message

President's Message

It is my honor and pleasure as President to have the chance to meet OSA members all around the world.

Letters

Letters

OSA Today

OSA Today

OSA Financials

OSA 2011 Audited Financial Report

Book Reviews

Book Reviews

Advertiser Index

Advertiser Index

Product Profiles

Product Profiles