From "Chasing Light" to "Harnessing Light": Launch of the Fudan Photon Programme

Academician Wang Jiaqi: Exploring the Nation’s Strategic Optical Instruments

The 2024 cohort of the Photon Plan – Academician Class visited the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics (CIOMP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Academician Wang Jiaqi delivered a special lecture. He began with an arm-wrestling demonstration to engage the audience, then traced the institute’s development history to explain the underlying logic of scientific innovation and its spirit of perseverance.

He quoted the late Academician Wang Daheng’s famous words — “Innovation is born out of necessity” — and used the breakthrough development of the ZS-6 optical remote sensor under technological constraints as a case study. This illustrated the importance of the “Five Abilities,” including mathematical modelling, independent learning, and cross-team collaboration.

Students then visited the key laboratories at Daheng Building, where they observed the precision assembly and calibration process of the ZS-6 optical remote sensor up close. This high-resolution optical remote sensing system was among the first to apply computer-aided optical assembly and calibration technology, achieving industry-leading image quality and providing strong technical support for China’s aerospace imaging capabilities. Inside the simulated sky survey optical facility, students learned about spacecraft camera structures and core detector materials, gaining a deeper appreciation for the strategic importance of independent and controllable core technologies.

CIOMP, known as the “Cradle of Chinese Optics,” has achieved numerous technological breakthroughs since its establishment in 1952, developing China’s first ruby laser, large high-precision cine theodolite, electron microscope, and other landmark instruments. These achievements gave students a direct understanding of the strength and importance of national scientific and technological innovation.

Academician Li Ruxin: Frontiers and Challenges in Extreme Optics

Academician Li Ruxin delivered a special lecture titled Extreme Optics: Frontiers and Challenges in Room 537 of the Physics Building on Handan Campus. Using nanoscale light as a precise probe into the microscopic world, he demonstrated its potential applications in data storage and microscopy. By introducing attosecond light pulse phenomena, he presented cutting-edge breakthroughs in ultrafast optics. He further demonstrated the central role of extreme optics in fundamental science by comparing ultra-precise optical clocks to highly accurate timekeepers used to verify physical laws.

He also discussed the urgent demand for high-precision optical processing and inspection in advanced lithography systems. Using domestic and international case studies, he explained that extreme optics serves as the precision foundation and key enabling technology behind lithography machines — effectively using light as a cutting tool. The lecture also addressed major challenges in the field, identifying bottlenecks such as low laser generation efficiency. By comparing the energy demands of magnetic confinement fusion and inertial confinement fusion, he demonstrated the breakthrough potential of extreme optics in the energy sector.

Academician Li Ruxin specialises in ultra-high-peak-power ultrashort-pulse lasers and strong-field laser physics, with significant achievements in the field. This intellectually stimulating lecture left students with a deep appreciation for how frontier exploration requires both ambitious vision and sustained effort to tackle technical challenges.

Academician Connie Chang-Hasnain: Superstructure VCSEL Empowering Sensing and Communications

Academician Connie Chang-Hasnain delivered a lecture titled Superstructure VCSEL: Empowering Sensing and Communications, taking students on a journey through the past, present, and future of communications technology. She focused on the technological advantages of vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) chips compared with traditional edge-emitting laser chips, while introducing the application potential of high-contrast gratings and superstructures in optical interconnects and AI computing.

She pointed out that innovative grating design and superstructure engineering can break through the limitations of traditional VCSELs in power density, beam quality, and integration density, providing key technical support for high-speed optical interconnects, 3D sensing, and other advanced applications. Students also engaged in in-depth discussions on topics including optimising the mass-production costs of superstructure VCSELs and the application potential of high-contrast gratings and superstructures in optical interconnects and AI computing.

This lecture also gave students a deeper appreciation for the power of scientific heritage — illustrating how the journey from “chasing light” to “harnessing light” reflects the continuous evolution of technological innovation.