Bulletin of the American Physical Society
APS March Meeting 2010
Volume 55, Number 2
Monday–Friday, March 15–19, 2010; Portland, Oregon
Session B5: Five Legacies from the Laser |
Hide Abstracts |
Sponsoring Units: FHP FIAP Chair: Daniel Kleppner, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Room: Portland Ballroom 256 |
Monday, March 15, 2010 11:15AM - 11:51AM |
B5.00001: Lasers at 50: Meeting the Grand Challenges for the 21st Century Invited Speaker: In the 50 years since the demonstration of the laser, coherent light has changed the way we work, communicate and play. The generation and control of light is critical for meeting important challenges of the 21st century from fundamental science to the generation of energy. [Preview Abstract] |
Monday, March 15, 2010 11:51AM - 12:27PM |
B5.00002: From Femtoseconds to Neurons in 35 Short Years Invited Speaker: |
Monday, March 15, 2010 12:27PM - 1:03PM |
B5.00003: Laser Ranging to the Moon: How Evolving Technology Enables New Science Invited Speaker: Technological advances have long been the enabler of scientific progress. The invention of the laser is a prime example of this symbiotic relationship between technical progress and scientific advances. The laser, which today is omnipresent in each of our lives, made its first appearance during the time that I was a graduate student in Professor Dicke's group at Princeton. A major change occurring during that time period was that technology was transforming the study of gravitational physics from just a theoretical subject into also an experimental subject where one could hope to measure things using by-then-available laboratory technologies and techniques. During this same time, the idea for the lunar laser ranging experiment was born. The history and accomplishments of this experiment--a still ongoing experiment which is one of the real scientific triumphs of NASA's Apollo program--will be given. [Preview Abstract] |
Monday, March 15, 2010 1:03PM - 1:39PM |
B5.00004: Medical imaging with optical coherence tomography Invited Speaker: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an emerging imaging modality which can generate high resolution, cross-sectional and three dimensional images of microstructure in biological systems. OCT is analogous to ultrasound B mode imaging, except that it uses light instead of sound. Imaging is performed by measuring the echo time delay of optical backscattering in the tissue as a function of transverse position. The penetration depth of OCT imaging is limited by attenuation from optical scattering to $\sim$ 2 to 3 mm in most tissues, however image resolutions of 1-10 um may be achieved. OCT functions as a type of ``optical biopsy" enabling in situ visualization of tissue microstructure with resolutions approaching that of conventional histopathology. Imaging can be performed in real time without the need to remove and process a specimen as in conventional biopsy. OCT technology utilizes advances in photonics and fiber optics such as femtosecond broadband lasers, high speed wavelength swept lasers and line scan camera technologies. Recent developments using Fourier domain detection achieve dramatic improvements in resolution and imaging speed. Three dimensional, volumetric imaging with extremely high voxel density is now possible, enabling microstructure and pathology to be visualized and rendered in a manner analogous to MR imaging. OCT is now widely accepted as a standard diagnostic in clinical ophthalmology, where it can image retinal pathology with unprecedented resolution improving the sensitivity of diagnosis and monitoring response to treatment. OCT is also being developed for other applications ranging from intravascular imaging in cardiology to endoscopic imaging for cancer detection. This presentation will discuss OCT technology and its applications. [Preview Abstract] |
Monday, March 15, 2010 1:39PM - 2:15PM |
B5.00005: The Excimer Laser: Its Impact on Science and Industry Invited Speaker: After the laser was demonstrated in 1960, 15 years were required to develop a practical method for extending laser emission into the UV: the Excimer laser. This historical review will describe the challenges with the new medium and provide an insight into the technological achievements. In the transition from Science to Industry it will be shown how start-ups successfully commercialized laboratory prototypes. The pioneers in this rapidly expanding field will be identified and the influence of government-funded research as well as the role of venture capital will be discussed. In scientific applications, the fields of photochemistry and material research were particularly stimulated by the advent of a reliable UV light source. Numerous industrial applications and worldwide research in novel applications were fueled In the early and mid 80's by progress in excimer laser performance and technology. The discovery of ablative photocomposition of polymer materials by Srinivasan at IBM opened the door to a multitude of important excimer applications. Micromachining with extreme precision with an excimer laser enabled the success of the inkjet printer business. Biological materials such as the human cornea can also be ``machined'' at 193nm, as proposed in 1983 by Trokel and Srinivasan. This provided the foundation of a new medical technology and an industry relying on the excimer laser to perform refractive surgery to correct vision Today, by far the largest use of the excimer laser is in photolithography to manufacture semiconductor chips, an application discovered by Jain at IBM in the early 80's. Moore's law of shrinking the size of the structure to multiply the number of transistors on a chip could not have held true for so long without the deep UV excimer laser as a light source. The presentation will conclude with comments on the most recent applications and latest market trends. [Preview Abstract] |
Follow Us |
Engage
Become an APS Member |
My APS
Renew Membership |
Information for |
About APSThe American Physical Society (APS) is a non-profit membership organization working to advance the knowledge of physics. |
© 2024 American Physical Society
| All rights reserved | Terms of Use
| Contact Us
Headquarters
1 Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740-3844
(301) 209-3200
Editorial Office
100 Motor Pkwy, Suite 110, Hauppauge, NY 11788
(631) 591-4000
Office of Public Affairs
529 14th St NW, Suite 1050, Washington, D.C. 20045-2001
(202) 662-8700