Message from the President
Since lasers were invented in the 1960s, optical technologies have evolved dramatically — for example, power lasers have developed to the point where petawatt-order pulses can be generated, which is more than 1,000 times the level of the world’s instantaneous power consumption today. We are on the verge of being able to study the interactions between light and vacuum and, furthermore, certain extreme conditions with high energy densities have been realized experimentally using these technologies: this has allowed us to create and control pressures as high as 10 million atm., which has not been demonstrated using conventional equipment. In addition, the evolution of extremely short optical pulse technology has opened up research into the ultrafast worlds of the pico- and femtosecond, which cannot be accessed by any other technique, while the range of laser frequency has been successfully extended to orders of terahertz or exahertz (e.g., X-rays), giving us the capabilities to observe and control various material states.
The Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University aims to become an international research hub with the ability to create novel scientific fields and revolutionary technologies which will lead to innovation. Laser technology is ever developing, evolving, and diversifying, allowing us to explore new fields of sciences that have previously been terra incognita to human beings. The Institute also aims to nurture talented personnel who will help us to bring our innovations out into the world.
