The National Science Foundation has awarded the University of Rochester a $1 million Regional Innovation Engines Development Award grant to begin developing the next generation of lasers. Leading the effort will be Thomas Brown, the director of the Institute of Optics, and Jonathan Zuegel, a professor of optics and a distinguished scientist at the Laboratory...Continue Reading

Two scientists at the University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE)—Valeri Goncharov and Petros Tzeferacos—have received funding awards from the US Department of Energy (DOE) for research in fusion energy. The DOE recently announced the winners of $32 million in funding for 15 projects as part of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy’s (ARPA-E) Breakthroughs...Continue Reading

New Data on Laser-Plasma Instabilities Could Improve Predictive Models for Fusion Experiments ROCHESTER, N.Y., Dec. 3, 2019 — New research from the University of Rochester could lead to more accurate computer models for simulations of laser-driven implosions. Researchers at the the university’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE), along with their colleagues at Lawrence Livermore National...Continue Reading

February 2-7, 2019, the global optics and photonics community descended on San Francisco for SPIE’s annual conference: Photonics West. With a whopping 58 companies in attendance, New York Photonics had its largest showing to date, the largest of any cluster at the conference. “New York companies have been presenting and exhibiting at Photonics West for...Continue Reading

Luminate (a program of Nextcorps) announced the 10 companies selected to take part in the second cohort of New York State’s Luminate NY accelerator competition in Rochester. The finalists selected include optics, photonics and imaging start-ups who were selected after pitching their innovative ideas to an advisory panel comprised of industry experts at the Luminate...Continue Reading

To help foster leadership in the application of high-intensity lasers, the University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) is partnering with eight other high-intensity laser facilities across the country in a new national research network called LaserNetUS. The collaboration, which includes University of Texas at Austin, Ohio State, Colorado State, Michigan, Nebraska-Lincoln, SLAC National...Continue Reading

IDEX has expanded its presence in Rochester, New York, with the construction of a new state-of-the-art optics facility. The 100,000 square-foot site includes both manufacturing and research and development activity, consolidating the Semrock and Melles Griot businesses based in Rochester with the Carlsbad, California business, which has traditionally specialized in lasers and integrated optical systems. The new...Continue Reading

Tucked into the omnibus federal budget bill released Wednesday is the funding needed to keep the University of Rochester’s laser lab open and operating. The $75 million is an increase over the $68 million in federal funding awarded to the facility this year. New York’s Democratic Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand jointly announced the funding,...Continue Reading

In 2001 we began running a series of ads in trades like Laser Focus World and Photonics Spectra promoting Rochester and the Finger Lakes Region as an international center for optics, photonics and imaging. These four OPI workers from the region were our models.  Do you recognize them?  Did you work with them?  Where are...Continue Reading

Two Rochester teens have been named scholars in the prestigious Regeneron Science Talent Search (formerly the Intel Science Talent Search) for research projects they carried out last summer at the University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE). Nikhil Bose of Pittsford Sutherland High School and Yujia Yang from Brighton High School are among the 300...Continue Reading