Optical technologies are now one of the most important future industries of the 21st century. These include the research fields of laser technology, imaging and medical optics as well as integrated optics and photonics. A first insight can be found in the current issue of LeibnizCampus Issue 19.
Especially in winter time it is striking how important the light is for us humans. And yet the visible light is only a very small part of the electromagnetic radiation, namely the part that the eye can perceive. This visible radiation consists of vibrating energy units, which we perceive as bright and colorful. It differs from other electromagnetic radiation only in its wavelength.
In the research field of optical technologies the extraordinary characteristics of light are used in the whole range of scientific and technical possibilities: the generation, amplification, shaping, transmission, measurement and utilization of light. Furthermore, optical methods are used in metrology, material processing and data-processing and –storage. The optical technologies include the research fields of laser technology, optoelectronics, imaging and medical optics, optical analysis and opto-fluidics as well as integrated optics and photonics.
Optical technologies are now one of the most important future industries of the 21st century and contribute significantly to technological progress. From the scanner at the till to the use of the laser in the automotive industry, communication technology and medicine - the technical use of light is already part of everyday life, often in conjunction with electronics.
As such, optical technologies as a cross-sectional technology are one of the innovation drivers for the economy and society and form the basis for important developments in, among others, mechanical engineering, automotive, ship and aircraft construction, micro and optoelectronics, lighting technology as well as the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.
In Hannover, around 200 scientists from the Leibniz University are working on these research fields - located at the Hannover Center for Optical Technologies, the Faculties of Mathematics and Physics, and Mechanical Engineering. The current Unimagazine offers an insight into the many possible applications of optical processes and technologies. This includes, for example, vehicle lighting for self-driving automobiles, smartphones that can revolutionize healthcare, but also the measurement of microplastics in drinking water, the examination of liver spots or the printing of nanoparticles and living cells with lasers.