Grant: Collaborative Research and Training Experience

The photonics revolution, unleashed by lasers and optical fibers, has transformed our daily life. Recent downturn in High-Tech sector provided an opportunity for photonics industry in Canada to diversify and explore opportunities beyond telecommunications. There is a growing need to train scientists, engineers and technicians in the science and applications of photonics. We propose a training program in extreme photonics - a new frontier in laser science that enables sub-division of time and space to attosecond durations and nanometer dimensions. Extreme photonics fuels new opportunities for next generation imaging, diagnostic, material processing, and instrumentation and device technologies; thus the proposed initiative falls well within all of the four priority areas. The proposal brings together physicists, engineers and medical researchers to create an integrated, multidisciplinary training program in extreme photonics that will be unique in Canada. Using the university's network of professors and researchers in Photonics we will offer (1) 2 new courses in Extreme Photonics at the graduate level - Extreme photonics and Advanced quantum optics courses that will be mandatory to all CREATE students; (2) a 4th year level undergraduate cross-disciplinary course on lasers and applications; (3) a journal club to help students develop the habit of reading and evaluating the scientific literature, critical thinking and improving scientific communication skills; (4) research-training positions to encourage scientists and engineers to enter our laboratories as PhD students or PDFs and gain experience with new photonics technologies; (5) key speakers from Canada and around the world will be invited to present the latest progress in the areas of attoscience, laser light sources, adaptive optics, quantum optics/information, nanophotonics, nonlinear fiber-optics, imaging and optical sensors (6) an annual summer school that will provide intensive, integrated and comprehensive training along the frontiers of extreme photonics.