Symposium: Mourou@70: From Ultrafast to Extreme Light

A symposium at the University of Michigan in celebration of the 70th birthday of Gérard A. Mourou, the A. D. Moore Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Emeritus. Professor Mourou's invention of Chirped Pulse Amplification (CPA) has enabled the development of the world's most intense laser pulses, with applications ranging from fundamental particle physics to health care. This one-day symposium is free of charge and open to the public but registration is required:
http://apps.physics.lsa.umich.edu/mourou

On June 22, 2014, Gérard A. Mourou, the A. D. Moore Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Emeritus, will turn 70. To mark that occasion there will be a symposium at the University of Michigan entitled "From Ultrafast to Extreme Light" which will celebrate Mourou's contributions to the field, review the current state of the art, and project new and exciting developments for the future.

The title "From Ultrafast to Extreme Light" captures the arc of Mourou's contributions to optics, starting from his achievements in picosecond optoelectronics to his invention of Chirped Pulse Amplification (CPA) which is enabling the generation of laser light with the extreme intensities needed for fundamental physics at the level of quarks. Professor Mourou put the University of Michigan on the map in ultrafast optics with his establishment of the Center for Ultrafast Optical Science (CUOS), which now houses the Hercules laser, a laser that set a world record of intensity in 2011. CUOS spawned companies such as Picometrix in Ann Arbor, a pioneer in terahertz technology, and Intralase, which pioneered the use of femtosecond lasers in eye surgery. The scientific, technological, and economic impact of his achievements has been truly extraordinary. It is truly fitting that we celebrate Mourou's achievements and shine the spotlight once again on the University of Michigan as a center for innovation in optics. Three years ago we celebrated another Michigan innovation, the birth of nonlinear optics, with a symposium marking its 50th anniversary.

The symposium will be held on Saturday, June 21, 2014 and will feature invited speakers such as Donna Strickland on Chirped Pulse Amplification, Tibor Juhasz on Femtosecond Laser Eye Surgery and IntraLase, Paul Corkum on Attosecond Science, Toshio Tajima on the Extreme Light Infrastructure, Chris Barty on Zettawatt Science, and Sir David Payne on the International Coherent Amplification Network. A poster session on work by current optics students will also be held.

The symposium is free of charge and open to the public but registration is required:
http://apps.physics.lsa.umich.edu/mourou

Organizers are Herbert Winful ([email protected]) and John Nees ([email protected]).