Silicon Valley Researchers and Companies Highlighted During CLEO/QELS and PhAST Conferences

Local researchers take center stage to showcase innovations in lasers and electro-optics

Nearly 6,000 researchers from around the world will present the latest breakthroughs in electro-optics, lasers and the application of light waves at the 2008 Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics/Quantum Electronics and Laser Science Conference (CLEO/QELS) May 4-9 at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, Calif. Exhibits featuring more than 350 leading electro-optics companies, including San Jose-based Coherent and New Focus, will offer a glimpse of the latest laser technologies and products.

As home to the largest concentration of technology expertise in the world—more than 6,600 technology companies employing more than 254,000 people—San Jose is an ideal city to host CLEO/QELS and PhAST.

WHAT: CLEO/QELS and PhAST

WHERE: San Jose McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, Calif.

WHEN: Sunday, May 4 - Friday, May 9

HIGHLIGHTS:
Approximately 150 research papers from California including 79 from local Silicon Valley researchers will be presented during CLEO/QELS and PhAST, covering a wide range of topics across the entire spectrum of optics and photonics. Highlights include:

• The National Ignition Facility: Status and Performance of the World’s Largest Laser System for the High Energy Density and Inertial Confinement Fusion
  The National Ignition Facility is the world’s largest laser system. Located at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the San Jose area, its 192 laser beams will generate millions of joules of infrared light, which will in turn be converted to ultraviolet light just prior to reaching the focus of these lasers. Ultimately, the laser system will create conditions similar to those inside an exploding thermonuclear weapon or in the cores of stars or planets, which will provide important information for national security and about the nature of the universe. Researchers will discuss progress in its development. Friday, May 9, 1:30 p.m., Rooms B1 and B2, Convention Center
  
  
• In vivo Cellular Level Imaging Using Nonlinear Optical Microendoscopy
  Using multiple contrast modalities, it is possible to perform minimally invasive optical microendoscopy in live subjects. Scientists at Stanford will discuss their work in this area. Monday, May 5, 2:15 p.m., Rooms A3 and A6, Convention Center
  
  
• Superresolution Imaging in Live Bacterial Cells by Single-Molecule Active-Control Microscopy
  Looking at living cells can give extraordinary insight into the intricate microscopic machinery of biology, but ordinary microscopes are limited in resolution by the wavelength of light. Researchers at Stanford University found a way around this problem by turning on only a sparse subset of the fluorescent protein labels in a cell, leading to imaging on the nanoscale. Friday, May 9, 2 p.m., Marriott San Jose Salon 1 and 2
  
  
• Optical Microchip Detection of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
  Researchers will demonstrate optical detection of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) on a microchip. Essentially, the researchers are investigating the development of an MRI sensor on a microchip. A team from the University of California, Berkeley and the National Institute of Standards and Technology is exploring ways of reducing NMR devices into something that would fit in the palm of the hand. With further development, this technique could provide a useful way of performing an analysis of chemical compounds, such as the screening of new compounds for drug development, among other applications. Tuesday, May 6, 12:15 p.m., Rooms C1 and C2, Convention Center
  
  
• Bright Photoluminescence from GaAs and InGaAs Nanoneedles Grown on Si Substrates
  A report of novel single-crystalline InGaAs nanoneedles will be presented. In a step toward fabricating lasers directly on silicon, scientists at the University of California, Berkeley have now grown GaAs structures into the shape of narrow needles, which emit light with high brightness. In addition to optoelectronic devices, the needles may be valuable in such applications as atomic force microscopy, which is the imaging, measuring and manipulating of matter at the nanoscale. Tuesday, May 6, 2:30 p.m., Marriott San Jose Salon 4
  
  
• Laser product demonstrations and explanations from corporate industry leaders, including, among others, the following local companies:
  o Coherent - www.coherent.com
  o New Focus - www.newfocus.com
  o FiberPro - www.fiberpro.com
  o Pavilion Integration Corporation - www.pavilionintegration.com
  o Photon, Inc. - www.photon-inc.com
  Visit these companies during exhibit hours: Tuesday, May 6, and Wednesday, May 7, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Thursday, May 8, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

San Jose/Silicon Valley is California’s largest technology hub, employing some 254,000 tech industry workers, and paying the highest annual average wage of all California cybercities at $126,700. Additionally, it is home to more than 500 optics professionals with significant university photonics centers located at Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley, both of which are represented at the conferences.

For additional information or to register, contact Keira Shein at 410.363.9494 or keira@wilkinsonshein.com.

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