This event occurred in the past. Please find the links to the keynote presentations below.

Session Moderators:

Jonathan Phillips, Central Laser Facility (United Kingdom)
Laurent Gallais, Institut Fresnel (France)


Keynote Presentations

Limitation of dispersive optics for ultrafast physics


Vladimir Pervak, Ludwig-Maximilians-Univ. München (Germany)

Optical thin films multilayer coating has been driving the advancement of ultrashort laser technology towards ever shorter pulses and broader bandwidth. Deposition and sputtering of dozens of thin film layers with sub-nanometer accuracy. It permits controlling of the spectral phase and amplitude of optical radiation over an optical octave and beyond. We give overview on non-linear effects in multilayer ultrafast coating shortly before damage threshold appear as well as damages. We describe ways how to use or post-pone these effects and damages to higher fluences.

Vladimir Pervak has received his MSc degree in Physics from the Kiev National Taras Schevchenko University, Ukraine, in 2004. In 2006, he received his PhD in Physics at the Max-Planck-Instiute of Quantum Optics, Germany, and Kiev National Taras Schevchenko University, Ukraine. He is head of coating department of Ultrafast Innovations since 2009. Currently, he is leading his team in the research group of Prof. Ferenc Krausz at Ludwig Maximilians University and Ultrafast Innovations, both in Munich. He has more than 250 technical and scientific publications. He has delivered more 28 invited and plenary talks. His research interests include interference coatings, ultrafast sources and nonlinear optics.


The impact of surface particulates and laser-accelerated particles on continuous-wave laser damage


Joseph Talghader, Univ. of Minnesota (United States)

Typical continuous-wave (CW) laser damage, which is based on average power, differs considerably from its ultra-short-pulse counterpart, which is based on maximum field. Despite this fundamental difference, it has recently been found that CW breakdown in the presence of surface particle contamination (i.e. dirt) has some of the dependences of ultra-short pulse breakdown, such as bandgap dependences, albeit based on very different physical mechanisms. Further studies have shown that particles in air are also a danger to surfaces in high average power applications, with laser breakdown potentially occurring at power levels well below that of both clean optics and optics with fixed surface particles.

Professor Talghader’s work has covered a number of fields related to the SPIE including Optical MEMS,infrared devices, high power lasers and materials, and optical instrumentation. Dr. Talghader has received the Antarctic Service Medal of the United States in 2014 from the National Science Foundation, an Outstanding Editor Award from Light: Science and Applications, 3M Faculty Awards on three occasions, and the University of Minnesota Innovations Awards on multiple occasions. He has led or been a PI on many research programs including those funded by DEJTO, ARO, ONR, NSF, DARPA, AFOSR, DTRA, NASA, and several industrial sponsors. His technology has been a Finalist for the Minnesota Cup for entrepreneurs. He has served on various program committees and reviews, including service as General Chair, Program Chairs, Steering Committee membership, Guest Editorships, and the triennial strategic planning panel for the Army Research Office Electronics Division.