CLEO/IQEC 2009 meets in Baltimore

The 29th Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics and the 27th International Quantum Electronics Conference are set to take place Sunday–Friday, 31 May–5 June 2009, at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland. Every five years IQEC replaces the Quantum Electronics and Laser Science, or QELS, Conference. Sponsored by the American Physical Society’s laser science division, the IEEE Photonics (formerly Lasers and Electro-Optics) Society, and the Optical Society of America, the annual pairing of conferences presents the latest basic and applied research in laser science, electro-optics, and quantum electronics.

The CLEO/IQEC 2009 cochairs expect to host some 1200 technical presentations, more than 100 invited speakers, 2 plenary sessions, 7 special symposia, 39 short courses, 21 tutorials, and 3 poster sessions. A list of session topics and invited speakers is on page 53.

The two plenary sessions, on Monday evening, 1 June, 6:00–7:30pm, and on Wednesday morning, 3 June, 8:00–10:30am, will feature three speakers. Edward Moses, from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, will speak on the National Ignition Facility and the new scientific opportunities in high-energy-density science. Federico Capasso, of Harvard University, will trace the history of and recent advances in quantum cascade lasers. Alain Aspect, from France’s Institut d’Optique, will discuss Bell’s theorem, the new field of quantum information, and entanglement between qubits.

A joint CLEO/IQEC symposium will honor the work of Daniel Chemla (1940–2008), who was a leader in the area of condensed-matter optoelectronics. Besides sharing personal reminiscences of Chemla, the presenting researchers, all of whom are in fields impacted by his work, will give a historical perspective of significant developments and the current state of research. Other symposia will cover nanophotonics and metamaterials, slow/fast light and its applications, frequency combs, optofluidics, and high-power solid-state lasers.

Thirty-nine short courses are being offered Sunday through Tuesday on subjects as varied as semiconductor lasers, organic and inorganic LEDs, and fiber amplifiers and devices. New courses will be presented on the following topics: single-photon detection, super-resolution optical microscopy, fiber-based parametric devices, green photonics, optical clocks, the art of modeling optical systems, and intellectual property and patents in academia.

PhAST

Once again CLEO/IQEC is being held in conjunction with the Conference on Photonic Applications, Systems, and Technologies, which will run Tuesday–Thursday, 2–4 June.

For 2009 the PhAST program will be offered in two parts. New this year is the PhAST Applications track, which complements the CLEO/IQEC technical program by focusing on technology and applied research. Programs will include applications of passive and active optical remote sensing, organic LED applications, laser displays, and government-sponsored laser and electro-optics initiatives. The PhAST Market Focus, which covers business and commercialized applications, will feature sessions on photovoltaics, diagnostics and therapy in biophotonics, and photonics for security and the environment. The PhAST Market Focus will be located on the PhotonXpo show floor.

PhotonXpo, where some 350 exhibiting companies display their products, runs Tuesday–Thursday. This CLEO exhibit presents the latest technologies and products through on-floor programming and presentations. The annual job fair runs Tuesday and Wednesday, 10:00am–5:00pm, also on the PhotonXpo show floor, and includes a free career workshop on Wednesday from 12:30 to 1:30pm.

The fifth annual PhAST/Laser Focus World Innovation Awards presentation will take place Monday evening at 7:00pm. The program allows conference participants to preview future technologies and the latest optics and photonics applications.

At the PhAST power lunch, scheduled for Tuesday, 12:30–1:30pm, participants can meet industry leaders and discuss various strategies for surviving the current economic downturn. A conference reception will be held Tuesday evening from 6:30 to 8:00pm.

For the most up-to-date information, visit http://www.cleoconference.org/ .