Spring 2017

• What: Meeting
• Where: 330 Cobleigh (Lloyd Berg conference room)
• Speaker: Lou Oberto
• Topic:  Atmosphere of a Transiting Exoplanet, Probed in the Lyman-alpha Band

• What: Meeting
• Where: 330 Cobleigh (Lloyd Berg conference room)
• Speaker: Tianbo Liu
• Topic: 3 Dimensional Beam Scanner for a Handheld Confocal Dermoscope

• What: OpTec Colloquium
• Where: Barnard 103
• Speaker: Professor Paul Barclay, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary and IQST/NINT Nanoscale Optics, University of Calgary
• Topic: Nanophotonic optomechanical devices: towards coupling photons, phonons and spins
• Abstract: 

  Optomechanical devices enhance the optical radiation-pressure-induced interaction between light and mechanical resonators. This interaction can be harnessed to enable coherent conversion of light to mesoscopic phonons with frequencies ranging from kHz to GHz. Through control of these phonons, new approaches for manipulating and probing solid state spin systems are feasible. 

  In this talk I will present recent advances in creating such nanoscale "spin-optomechanical" devices. I will first present results demonstrating some of the first optomechanical devices fabricated from single crystal diamond [1, 2], which in addition to having remarkable mechanical properties (e.g. ultrahigh mechanical Q*f product), can be used for optomechanical control of single electron spins. I will then discuss silicon based nanophotonic devices that allow optomechanical probing of the magnetic properties of nanostructures, providing routine on-chip photonic readout of the nanomagnetic susceptibility of single magnetic defects [3]. Finally, I will comment on the prospect of cooling these devices into their quantum ground state, enabling studies coupling single phonons to electronic or magnetic spin systems. 

  [1] B. Khanaliloo, H. Jayakumar, A. C. Hryciw, D. Lake, H. Kaviani, P. E. Barclay, "Single crystal diamond nanobeam waveguide optomechanics," Physical Review X 5, 041051 (2015) 

  [2] M. Mitchell, B. Khanaliloo, D. Lake, P. E. Barclay, "Low-dissipation cavity optomechanics in single crystal diamond," Optica 3, 963 (2016) 

  [3] M. Wu, N. L.-Y. Wu, T. Firdous, F. F. Sani, J. E. Losby, M. R. Freeman, P. E. Barclay, "Nanocavity optomechanical torque magnetometry and RF susceptometry," 

Wednesday, February 22, 2017, 5:00-6:00 PM

• What: Meeting
• Where: 330 Cobleigh (Lloyd Berg conference room)
• Speaker: TBA
• Topic: "STEAMlab"
• STEAMlab, a part of the Children's Museum of Bozeman, is looking to implement an augmented reality sandbox for use in their facility. As such, they are seeking students to help with this fun and unique project, and they are reaching out to our chapter! This could be great opportunity to increase your skills and doing something fun for the community!

• What: OpTec Colloquium
• Where: Roberts Hall 301
• Speaker: Dr. Reinhard Voelkel, Co-founder and CEO of SUSS of MicroOptics SA
• Topic: Micro-optics, key-enabling technology for modern times
• Abstract: 

  Micro-optics is an indispensable enabling technology for many products and applications today. Probably the most popular examples are the diffractive light shaping elements used in high-end DUV lithography steppers. Highly-efficient refractive and diffractive micro-optical elements are used for precise beam and pupil shaping. Micro-optics had a major impact on the reduction of aberrations and diffraction effects in projection lithography, allowing a resolution enhancement from 250 nm to 45 nm within the past decade. Micro-optics also plays a decisive role in medical devices (endoscopes, ophthalmology), in all laser-based devices and fiber communication networks, bringing high-speed internet to our homes. Even our modern smart phones contain a variety of micro-optical elements. Wherever light is involved, micro-optics offers the chance to further miniaturize a device, to improve its performance, or to reduce manufacturing and packaging costs. The talk recapitulates major steps and inventions in micro-optics technology. The state-of-the-art of fabrication, testing and packaging technology is summarized.

• What: Event
• Where: S2 Corporation
• Speaker: Kris Merkel, CEO of S2 Corporation
• Topic: Company Tour
• For more information about S2, visit their website.
• NOTE: This meeting and tour will be on location at S2. We will be meeting in the atrium of Barnard Hall (formerly EPS) around 3:40 PM and walk over as a group. Please, join us!
• Walking directions from SUB

• What: Jean-luc Doumont: Conveying Messages With Graphs
• Where: Roberts 101
• When: 3-5 pm

• What: Jean-luc Doumont: Effective Technical Presentations
• Where: Barnard 108
• When: 9:00-15:00
• About Jean-luc Doumont:
  • An engineer (Louvain) and PhD in applied physics (Stanford), Jean-luc Doumont is acclaimed worldwide for his no-nonsense approach, his highly applicable, often life-changing recommendations on a wide range of topics, and Trees, maps, and theorems, his book about “effective communication for rational minds.” For additional information, visit www.principiae.be.
• About the Event:
  • Strong presentation skills are a key to success for researchers, yet many speakers are at a loss to tackle the task. Systematic as they otherwise can be in their work, they go at it intuitively or haphazardly, with much good will but seldom good results. In this interactive workshop, Dr. Doumont proposes a systematic way to prepare and deliver an oral presentation: he covers structure, slides, and delivery, as well as stage fright.

• What: Meeting
• Where: 330 Cobleigh (Lloyd Berg conference room)
• Topic: General Updates

• What: OpTec Colloquium
• Where: Roberts Hall 301
• Speaker: Dr. Blake Crowther, Synopsys Optical Solutions Group
• Topic: "Lessons learned while traveling about optical design space"
• Abstract: 

  Synopsys Optical Solutions Group has traveled extensively about the optical design space, having designed nearly every known form of optical system. We have learned quite a few lessons in our optical design travels. Dr. Blake Crowther, a member of Synopsys OSG will serve as a guide as we travel through some of the lessons learned. You will learn important lessons about design specification, the design process, tolerancing, resolution, optical materials, optical testing, aspheres, and other travel detours. These will be accompanied by case studies about past travelers in those same areas. You will be more aware of some things to look out for in an optical design as a result of our trip together in this talk.

• What: OpTec Colloquium
• Where: Roberts Hall 301
• Speaker: Michael D. Obland, NASA Langley Research Center
• Topic: Technology Advancements for Active Remote Sensing of Carbon Dioxide from Space Using the ASCENDS CarbonHawk Experiment Simulator
• Abstract: 

  Measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide from space are currently obtained by passive satellite instruments that rely on sunlight for their data retrievals. This method results in measurement gaps whenever sunlight is reduced or unavailable, such as at night, in polar regions, or in the presence of clouds. To address these gaps, the U.S. National Research Council’s 2007 report, Earth Science and Applications from Space: National Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond, identified the NASA Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days, and Seasons (ASCENDS) satellite mission as a midterm space mission necessary to better understand global sources and sinks of carbon dioxide. ASCENDS is an active laser remote sensing instrument that relies on laser light, not sunlight, for data retrievals. This talk describes advances in critical lidar technologies and techniques developed and tested using the ASCENDS CarbonHawk Experiment Simulator (ACES) airborne lidar.  ACES is a NASA Langley Research Center project originally funded by NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) Instrument Incubator Program (IIP) built to advance technologies critical to measuring atmospheric column carbon dioxide mixing ratios in support of the ASCENDS mission. The talk will present an overview of these technologies and techniques, and provides results from recent test flights.

• What: Meeting
• Where: 330 Cobleigh (Lloyd Berg conference room)
• Speaker: TBA
• Topic: TBA

• What: OpTec Colloquium
• Where: Roberts Hall 301
• Speaker: John Elwell
• Topic: Infrared Imaging In Space with the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
• Abstract: 

  Designing and building imaging systems in the infrared presents a number of challenges and building them for space adds to those challenges.  This talk will illustrate some of these challenges, and approaches to solving them, using an example of a successful space-based infrared imaging sensor: the NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) instrument built by Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory. WISE imaged the entire sky multiple times in four infrared bands from 2.6 to 26 mm, and continues to operate today. The WISE sensor has all-reflective optics with a 40-cm aperture, and four co-aligned 1-megapixel IR focal plane arrays. The focal planes and complete optical train were maintained from 7 to 30 kelvin using a solid hydrogen cryogen system.

• What: Meeting
• Where: 330 Cobleigh (Lloyd Berg conference room)
• Speaker:Montana Technology Innovation Partnership (MTIP)
• Topic:

  Montana Technology Innovation Partnership (MTIP) is a Montana Department of Commerce initiative created to promote technology commercialization as a viable economic development strategy for the State of Montana. MTIP's mission is to build the short-term benefits of technology research and development into the long-term rewards of economic development through commercialization.

• What: 10 year anniversary BBQ for our chapter!
• Where:Gallatin County Regional Park
• About: Join us for our 10 year anniversary BBQ! We will be grilling hamburgers, hot dogs, sausages, and more! Drinks are also provided. Bring a frisbee, football, or whatever you like! The event will take place at the Gallatin County Regional Park, located at the corner of Oak Street and Davis Lane. Click the link above to be taken to Google Maps for directions. We hope to see you there!