Professor to shed light on the power of lasers

Published On Thu 10 May 2018 by Jonathan Watson

Lasers are often associated with science fiction, but the secrets of how they interact with the real world are to be revealed at the latest Cafe Science Dundee event.

Professor Amin Abdolvand from the University of Dundee will detail how lasers are helping to unlock some of science’s greatest secrets, and how light is being utilised to assist research involving the Large Hadron Collider.

Professor Abdolvand, the University’s Chair of Functional Materials and Photonics, will also talk about how research with light technology is benefitting our everyday lives, from fibre-optic cables to spectacles, when he gives his talk on Monday 14 May.

Explaining how science is helping to harness the intense power of laser light, he said, “A readily available green laser pointer often used in presentations has one milliwatt of output power and produces some ten quadrillion photons per second.

“Even this extremely low power laser by engineering standards is hundreds of times brighter than the sun.

“In this talk I hope to share my knowledge about the origins and history of this powerful tool and provide an example of the research carried out at Dundee where laser technology has been put into an exciting use.”

Cafe Science Dundee takes place at Avery & Co. at 34 South Tay Street on Monday 14 May at 7pm.

The event is free and all are welcome to attend.

Booking in advance is not necessary, however, early attendance is advised to avoid disappointment.

For media enquiries contact:
Jonathan Watson
Media Relations Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
Tel: +44 (0)1382 381489
Email: j.s.watson@dundee.ac.uk