Topics

Fiber Sensing Using Deployed Telecom Networks (FS)

The objective of this topic is to bring together researchers from the distinct disciplines of environmental sensing, frequency metrology, fiber-optic telecommunications equipment providers, and network operators. While fiber sensing has been an active research and product topic for decades, recently, there has been a considerable increase in the possibility to use the deployed fiber grid for a broad variety of sensing applications. Optical fibers make excellent sensors, as the slightest fiber strain can measurably alter the polarization, frequency, and phase of the guided optical field. The ability to measure such changes has opened up a multitude of applications from infrastructure monitoring to geophysical exploration. The aim of this session is to open a discussion on how telecommunication operators and researchers can work together to fully exploit the existing fiber infrastructure for novel sensing applications that would co-exist with telecom operations.

Multimode Nonlinear Photonics (MNP)

In the past few years, the nonlinear propagation of light in multimode fibers and waveguides has attracted significant attention and been the subject of many studies. This is not only because of the rich landscape of dynamics associated with spatio-temporal coupling but also because of the vast number of potential applications. In particular, nonlinear effects in multimode structures allows for multidimensional control of light and the generation of complex optical fields with tailored properties. And multimode waveguides constitute indeed a platform of choice for the ultimate control of light characteristics as they naturally involve all dimensions (time, spectrum, space) in propagation phenomena. These degrees of freedom bring new opportunities and perspectives for many applications in, e.g., the development of high-power laser sources, information processing, or high-resolution imaging and sensing.

The scope of this meeting is to provide an overview and recent progress into multimode nonlinear photonics, with focus on nonlinear phenomena, applications, and future directions. Specific possible topics to be covered include e.g. nonlinear dynamics in multimode structures, supercontinuum generation in step-index and graded index fibers, multimode propagation in hollow-core fibers, emerging materials for multimode waveguides, machine learning control of multimoded phenomena, advanced characterization techniques for multimode photonics, multimode fiber amplifiers and lasers, multimode frequency combs, applications of multimode nonlinear photonics, quantum multimode nonlinear effects, structured light in multimode fibers etc.

Parallelisation and Inversion in Network Technologies (PINT)

Inverse methods have recently emerged as an effective way to computationally design complex optical systems for a wide range of applications ranging from tissue imaging and tomography to photonic circuit design and optical network optimization.  In this topical meeting, we focus on their application to next generation optical fiber networks characterized by high-data-rate optical transmission utilizing large scale wavelength division multiplexing incorporating new transmission bands (Multi-band WDM) and utilizing parallel spatial channels (space-division multiplexing, SDM) in new optical fibers.

In addition to discussing state of the art and intersection of multi-band and SDM technologies, the meeting will explore applications of inverse design techniques for devices and systems enabling highly parallelized and compact networking technologies. Through a series of invited and contributed talks, the topical will aim to forge new connections between the photonics community and inverse design experts to share skills and generate new applications, potentially seeding a new community investigating new inverse design methods for photonics applications in both the research and commercial sectors, similar to those that exist in acoustics and data science. The meeting will focus on sharing skills, knowledge, and the latest groundbreaking research in parallel optical transmission and inverse design for solving a wide range of technical challenges in photonics and the wider scientific community.

Quantum and Cryogenic Photonics (QCP)

The purpose of the QCP conference is to explore how photonic devices may impact quantum science, technology, and applications. The conference will have technical sessions focusing on quantum light sources, in particular for squeezed light, single-photon sources and generation of entangled photon pairs. It will also focus on quantum photonic integrated circuits, materials, integration between dissimilar material systems, devices, and concepts to support a national quantum foundry. Renowned scholars will be invited to talk about the recent development of quantum communications networks, quantum biology, and cryogenic integrated photonics. The latter is particularly of paramount importance for quantum computing, superconducting systems, high-sensitivity photodetectors, and quantum sensors that all require low temperatures, down to a few millikelvins, to minimize thermal noise and take advantage of superconducting circuits. Investigating novel cryogenic photonic devices has the potential to not only advance classical and quantum systems for sensing and computing, but also to drive research in more fundamental areas, such as the study of quantum phenomena and the exploration of novel materials. 

Visible Light Integrated Photonics and Application to Atomic and Quantum Sensing, Communications, and Computing (VLIP)

Precision scientific systems including atomic clocks, atomic and molecular spectroscopy, and quantum sensing, communications, and computing, that are built today with sophisticated visible light lab-scale laser and optical systems, are poised to transition to a broad range of commercial and scientific applications. At the forefront of this revolution is a new age of visible light integrated photonics and optical fibers that can bring a reduction in size, power, and cost of these systems. These systems involve technologies such as ultra-narrow linewidth and stable lasers, modulators, detectors, low loss waveguides, linear and nonlinear optics, and free-space beam emitters, atom trapping and cooling, and polarization control, that are required to operate at any of multiple wavelengths associated with atomic transitions. Integrating these technologies and systems to the chip-scale, through visible light photonics, is a multi-disciplinary challenge that can enable applications including space-based experiments and measurements, portable atomic clocks, quantum and atomic timing and gravitational sensors, ultra-low phase noise microwave sources, global satellite navigation systems (GNSS), precision synchronization over optical fiber, and energy efficient high-capacity coherent fiber optic communications. The scope of this meeting will involve invited talks, contributed talks, and panels, from international world-leading experts in atomic and quantum systems, precision lasers, photonic integration, and laser noise and stability, and industry, national lab, academic and student researchers and participants. 

Where Photonics Meets Computing: From Devices to Applications (WPMC)

This topic is on the merging of the fields of photonics and computing. Within this topic, there will be sessions featuring the state-of-the-art research in both academia and industry on various emerging computing systems using photonic devices and circuits for optical communications and information processing, as well as enabling technologies from the material level to the architecture level. In addition, novel computation techniques using machine learning for the design optimization of optical networks and photonic devices will be presented.