Changing the World with Light: Optics and Photonics for the Future

Optics and photonics have played a crucial role in the development of technology, enabling new devices and functionalities that have changed our daily lives and shaped the world we live in. The internet, especially the long distance lines between continents and countries, only exists because of fiber optics, and this connection between distant lands has led to a globalized economy that has changed how the world does business. In our daily lives, computers and smartphones play a large role in both our personal and professional lives, allowing us to communicate instantly with people across the globe and giving us access to unlimited amounts of information. The development of optical storage devices like CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray changed the film and TV industries, allowing for mass production and consumption of entertainment. Even things as basic as the light we use in our homes is shifting from the older incandescent light bulb to the more efficient LED. None of these technologies would be possible without optics and photonics.

So where will optics and photonics take us in the future? What new technologies are on the horizon for the near future? What about the far future? In this talk, I will review how optics and photonics are used in today’s technology, and I will discuss some of the current research areas and possible future applications. From automated vehicles to night vision cameras to quantum computers, the future is very bright.