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DTSTART:20250516T100000Z
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TRANSP:OPAQUE
DTEND:20250516T110000Z
LOCATION:Seminar Room
SUMMARY:ICFO | PETER DE GROOT
CLASS:PUBLIC
DESCRIPTION:Industry update - how's it going in the world of Optics?\nOptic
 s and Photonics is a thriving\, growing\, and resilient sector in the glob
 al high-technology ecosystem\, spanning components such as lenses and dete
 ctors to complete systems that support over $16T in enabled services world
 wide. Foundational and emerging topics include optical freeform and meta-s
 urface optics\, extended-reality displays\, biophotonics\, photonics for s
 ustainable energy and infrastructure\, data services\, quantum computing\,
  and fundamental physics research. The sector has consistently grown at ap
 proximately twice the global gross national product and provides excellent
  jobs for talented professionals. Although prospects for continued growth 
 are excellent\, there are unusual challenges this year\, with efforts to r
 ebalance global trade\, reforms to academic institutions\, workforce reduc
 tions\, and project cancellations. Here I review the state of the industry
  from the perspective of SPIE\, reflecting on some of these challenges whi
 le describing positive efforts to support and accelerate optics and photon
 ics for the betterment of the human condition.\nInterference microscopy&md
 ash\;History\, principles\, and current research\nThe story of modern inte
 rference microscopy is a journey through the history of optics\, beginning
  with the discovery of interference fringes and leading up to present-day 
 methods of surface structure analysis. For a time\, after the invention of
  the laser\, the principles of low-coherence interferometry were forgotten
 \, as researchers raced to develop laser-based distance sensors. The redis
 covery of white light methods in the 1990s dramatically advanced applicati
 ons for high precision measurements using light waves\, leading to modern 
 interference microscopes that measure both smooth and rough surface topogr
 aphies for research\, development\, and manufacturing metrology\, for ever
 ything from engine parts to virtual reality headsets. Current topics inclu
 de both practical instrument design as well as scattering theory applied t
 o the interaction of light with surfaces.\n&nbsp\;\nBIO:\nPeter de Groot i
 s fascinated by optics and its practical use for measuring things. Educate
 d first in History then in experimental atomic Physics at the Universities
  of Grenoble\, Maine\, and Connecticut\, he enjoys discovering the hidden 
 links between academic and applied research that fuel inventions and creat
 ive solutions in science and industry.\nDr. de Groot joined Zygo in 1992\,
  and has been Executive Director of Research\, Chief Scientist\, and now S
 cientist Emeritus for the company. His work has led to 141 US patents for 
 optical instruments and 225 technical papers and book chapters. He is a Fe
 llow of Optica and the Institute of Physics\, and is the 2025 President of
  SPIE\, the international Society for Optics and Photonics. His research i
 nterests include optical instrument theory and design\, dimensional metrol
 ogy\, interferometry\, and quantum methods of sensing and computing. &nbsp
 \;An experienced educator\, Dr. de Groot has taught secondary school scien
 ce in West Africa as well as advanced topics at universities in the USA an
 d the UK\, as well as professional development courses worldwide\, as an i
 nstructor\, adjunct professor\, and honorary professor.
DTSTAMP:20260617T011755Z
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