Photonics is a powerhouse industry worldwide -- as evidenced by the upcoming Laser World of Photonics India 2013 conference and exhibit in Mumbai (November 12 to 14, 2013). Last year, the show hosted 128 exhibits and 2688 attendees; this year's show, to be held at the Bombay Exhibition Centre (BEC), will be held in parallel with the Intersolar India 2013 and Analytica Anacon India 2013 shows, hosted by Messe München International and also taking place at the BEC.
Laser World of Photonics India brings together a number of industries (mainly manufacturing, electronics, materials processing, communications, medical technology, and general lighting). Feedback from last year's show has led to the introduction this year of two new technical categories: Biophotonics and Medical Engineering, and Optical Information and Communication.
Seminars
On Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013, the "Symposium on Laser Material Processing: Advances in Light Matter Interaction -- From Ultra-high Power to Ultrafast to Ultrasmall" will be held. The scope of this symposium (which is sponsored by OSA -- the Optical Society) is broad, ranging from large-scale metal cutting to nanomaterial processing and other fine surface modifications; talks will include the use of lasers in the diamond industry in India and elsewhere, surface modifications on the nanoscale, and others.
Presenters at the Tuesday symposium will include Bishnu Pal, professor of physics at the Indian Institute of Technology (Delhi, India); Yehiam Prior, chair of physical chemistry at the Weizmann Institute of Science (Rehovot, Israel); David Payne, professor at the University of Southampton (Southampton, England) and pioneer of the erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA); Ashish Nath, professor of mechanical engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (Kharagpur, India), physicist Ajoy Kar of Heriot-Watt University (Edinburgh, Scotland), who specializes in nonlinear optics; and optical physicist Eric Mazur of Harvard University; Boston, MA).
A one-day seminar to be held on Wednesday, Nov. 13, “Laser Applications: Opportunities & Challenges,” will focus on telecommunications, biophotonics, and other photonics applications such as automotive manufacture and diamond-cutting. The seminar is supported by the Optical Society of India (OSI; Kolkata) and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR; Mumbai).
In connection with Laser World of Photonics India 2013, I would like to show here what I think is one of the most beautiful optical-hardware photos I have seen (bear with me, I used to be an optical engineer). Here it is in all its glory, with a description below it.
(Image: physicsconnect)
This is an LED multiplexer produced by Cymtec (Caerphilly, Wales) that combines and mixes light from red, green, and blue LEDs to create a light source changeable from white to any hue. The multiplexer is designed to keep the etendue (source area times solid angle) low, which makes it easier to work with and channel the light. (see http://www.cymtec.co.uk). Cymtec will be exhibiting the multiplexer at Laser World of Photonics India 2013.
If the multiplexer looks like this in real life, I want one for my living room.
John Wallace | Senior Technical Editor (1998-2022)
John Wallace was with Laser Focus World for nearly 25 years, retiring in late June 2022. He obtained a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and physics at Rutgers University and a master's in optical engineering at the University of Rochester. Before becoming an editor, John worked as an engineer at RCA, Exxon, Eastman Kodak, and GCA Corporation.