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Specialties
The research programs at OSC span the breadth of the optical sciences, from the big — polishing the telescope mirrors that explore the stars — to the small — applying optical nanotechnologies in agriculture, energy generation, medicine and more.
From the hot — fine-tuning the images that diagnose cancer — to the very cold — stopping single atoms with laser beams — the college strives for excellence in the study of all aspects of the engineering and physics of light.
Use the search box in the left column to find faculty members with particular interests, or browse our professors' research summaries by their specialties:
Optical Engineering
Optical engineers examine and develop different uses of light with instruments like lenses, spectrometers and interferometers; they build the practical devices that put light to use.
Optical Physics
Optical physics concentrates on the inspection, manipulation and control of electromagnetic radiation in relation to matter, focusing on the discovery and application of new phenomena. Optical physicists use and develop light sources that span the electromagnetic spectrum from microwaves to X-rays.
Photonics
Photonics is the science of the dual nature of light, emphasizing that it is both particle and wave at once; it covers the research and application of light from ultraviolet to the infrared.
Image Science
Image science investigates the ways that image quality can be defined, measured and optimized; it touches and improves the visualization of everything from healthy bones to unstable atmosphere to millennia-old geological formations.
