Summer School!

In my opinion, every graduate student should at least have visited one summer school during his graduate studies. Why... because you benefit a lot from a summer school!

A summer school handles of a main topic and tries to bring together graduate students and young Post-docs from diverse range of fields relevant to the main topic. Lectures are normally given by leading researchers in the field. As a graduate student you will not only learn new things but you also have the chance to talk with the lectures in a relaxed atmosphere. In the postersession you can present your own work. A summer school goes between 1 and 2 weeks.
What I liked very much was to learn other graduate students from different places, working on the same/ similar project. Very nice for everyone are the social events during the school. Mostly you are going for sightseeing a day. And, in the evenings you are free to do what you want.
Normally, there is a small summer school fee but often you can apply for a scholarship which overtakes most of the fee. Summer school anouncements you can find everywhere... in journals (Photonics Spectra), on the blackboard of your department, but best thing is to ask simply your professor/ supervisor.

As an example for a summer school:

66th Scottish Universities Summer School in Physics
International Summer School in Ultrafast Nonlinear Optics 2010

Take the chance to visit a summer school!

Sunset in the Lab

Sunset in the lab, that´s how we named the first picture and I think you guess why ;).


We are focusing with a 1030nm beam in a YVO4 crystal generating "white light" which contains only near-infrared wavelengths from 600nm to around 1100nm. The blue light in the crystal originates from third harmonic generation.

The next picture shows stronger white light generation from 450nm to around 1400nm in a YAG crystal



Both pictures were taken in our lab by Thorsten Naeser and can be soon seen at the attoworld gallery.

If you want to know more about white light generation, then you should read following article: Femtosecond continuum generation in bulk laser host materials with sub-μJ pump pulses (journal access necessary).

Have fun!

Photonics in Spain: Open for Business

The latest (june/july 2010) euro photonics issue (included in photonics spectra) presents an article about the photonics in Spain:

Photonics in Spain: Open for Business (free access)

A brief and very general overview of the situation of photonics development and research is given. ICFO, SECPhO and CLPU are mentioned. The article is nice to read and I guess especially interesting for our Spanish readers :) . Let´s hope future will show what the article says, namely: “Outlook is good”. Enjoy!

PS: the articles in the current photonics spectra issue are really interesting. Don’t forget, you can subscribe for free!

Links:
ICFO - Institute of Photonic Science
CLPU- Center for Ultrashort Pulsed Lasers
SECPhO- Southern European Cluster in Photonics and Optics

LAB2 - The Virtual Femtosecond Laboratory

LAB2 is a (for free) modular programming tool written in Labview which enables one to simulate basic experiments and devices daily used in femtosecond experiments.

LAB2

As examples they mention:

• propagation through a linear medium
• prism compressor
• second harmonic generation with depleted fundamental wave
• crystal wizard - how to find the phase matching angle

But to my knowledge there are more functions in the package.

LabII was developed in 1998 at the Institute for Optics and Quantum Electronics (IOQ) in Jena. Since Fall 2004 it is at the Institute of Applied Physics in Bern with Prof. Thomas Feurer. The download is free but you have to register. What I like is the detailed manual which will help you to use efficiently LAB2. Basics and concepts are introduced too and always worth to read it. If you have used LAB2 already, please write a comment about your experience with it.

OSLO - Free Optical Design Software

Optical Design Software are widely used in optic industry and also in certain scientific optic fields. But in general, our research in nonlinear/ quantum optics does not require the assistance of optical design software. However, sometimes there are cases where one thinks that it would be not bad to design it proper (especially if you have to optimize). Most popular (and very good) optical design softwares are Code V and Zemax. But they are expensive and therefore quite often not purchased. However, there are other softwares and one of them is

OSLO, Optics Software for Layout and Optimization.

The version OSLO-EDU (for education) can be downloaded for free. But compared with other software demos or free version, OSLO-EDU still contains a lot of features which enables you to really work with it. Good and extensive introductions, manuals and examples exist and will help you to operate the software. But as with every software, you have to spend first a little bit time to learn it, depending what you want to design. OSLO is provided by the company Lambda Research Corporation. The link for the download page you can find here:

Download OSLO-EDU

on the same page you can also download 2 manuals. I hope for smaller optical design tasks this software will help you.


Lambda Research Corporation
OSLO Wikipedia
Code V
Zemax

THz Science & Technology Network

If you are interested in terahertz research, or you want to get an overview then this Thz Science and Technology Network may be worth to consider:

THz Science & Technology Network

The page is maintained and regulary updated. I like the news and furthermore, they have their own virtual (monthly published) virtual journal. Not bad is the conference page as well as the career page too. A real nice feature is the buyer´s guide. It will provide a good starting point if you search commerical THz technology (depending of what you are searching this can be real challenge!). You can get also a member of the THz network. The basic membership is free. However, all pages are free accessible and actually it is nowhere written, what for additional features you receive if you get a member. If you are a member (i am not), please write a comment.
What you will not find on this network is a short introduction to THz or an overview for people not really involved into the THz research. An overview gives for example following article from nature photonics (access of the journal necessary): cutting edge terahertz technology, or searching on wikipedia will show you some results too (terahertz radiation).
Have a look on the THz network, if you know other such pages, or you are even a member, please write a comment :). Enjoy.

SNLO - Crystal Property Caculations Software

I guess that everyone working in nonlinear optics knows this (free) software. And if not, it is time that you hear about it.

SNLO is a free programm with many functions helping one to select the correct nonlinear crystal, and in modeling nonlinear frequency conversion processes in those crystal. Developed and maintained by Dr. Arlee Smith, at that time working at the Sandia National Laboratories and now founder of AS-Photonics. The software is constantly updated and currently version 51 is available (november 18, 2009). It includes data for more than 50 crystals as well as a good introduction manuel. The PDFs to the software and crystal references you find on the same page where you can download the software:

Download SNLO

Since Dr. Smith is working at AS-Photonics you have to register (free) for it. Take time to read the introduction/ help manual to learn the full possibility of this software (and it is not so much time to take ;) ). I am quite sure that this software has simplified the life of many graduate student working in nonlinear optics. Enjoy.