Speaker
Prof. Alexander Fürbach (Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia)
Seminar abstract
The Photonics Research Centre at Macquarie University develops advanced laser and sensing technologies with direct relevance to large-scale scientific facilities. This seminar will present recent advances in high-performance Raman lasers and mid-infrared fibre laser systems, as well as innovations in integrated fibre- and bulk-photonic devices. A central focus is femtosecond-laser micro-fabrication, which enables tailored waveguides, resonators, and sensing structures with unique functionality. These developments open new possibilities for ultra-stable timing distribution and synchronization, high-bandwidth optical signal processing, and the generation of ultra-coherent light for precision spectroscopy in particle accelerator environments.
Bio
Alexander Fürbach was born in Vienna, Austria. He obtained a master’s degree in electrical engineering in 1999 and a PhD in Photonics in 2001 from Vienna University of Technology, under the supervision of Nobel Laureate Prof. Ferenc Krausz. He subsequently joined the company Femtolasers Produktions GmbH, where he was responsible for the development of advanced ultrashort-pulsed Ti:Sapphire laser systems.
In 2004, he returned to academia and moved to Australia to take up a position as Research Fellow at the University of Sydney, where he investigated ultrafast pulse propagation in novel optical fibres. In late 2005, he was awarded an Australian Postdoctoral Fellowship, which enabled him to establish his own research group at Macquarie University in Sydney, where he has been based ever since. He is currently a Full Professor and the Associate Dean Research Training and Performance for the Faculty of Science and Engineering.
Prof. Fürbach’s principal research interests include the interaction of femtosecond laser pulses with solid matter for the fabrication of integrated photonic devices, the development of waveguide and fibre laser systems, as well as mid-infrared and nonlinear photonics. He has authored or co-authored more than 300 peer-reviewed papers in leading journals and conferences, including many invited and keynote presentations.
He has served on the program committees of several major international conferences, including CLEO Europe and BGPP, is a member of the Board of Directors of the Australian and New Zealand Optical Society (ANZOS) and an Associate Editor for the Journal of Lightwave Technology (JLT).
ATS Seminar Organisers
A. Dallocchio (EN), E. Metral (BE), M. Modena (ATS-DO), T. Stora (SY), A. Sublet (TE)