First celebration of the Day of Photonics in Estonia

On 21 October at 12:30, the Day of Photonics – a key enabling technology – will be celebrated at the Institute of Physics of the University of Tartu (Ravila 14c). During the day, visitors will be able to see interesting demonstrations and experiments related to light and listen to lectures about the research at the Institute of Physics and the activities of Estonian companies in the field.

“In its wider sense, photonics encompasses all technical solutions and technologies that use the manipulation of light, including LED-lightning, modern solar panel technology, lasers, optical fibres, photonic integrated circuits, etc.,” explained Ott Rebane, Industrial Liaison Officer of the Institute of Physics of the University of Tartu.

The Day of Photonics is an introduction to the International Year of Light 2015. The Day of Photonics is celebrated across Europe on 21 October, as on this day in 1983, experiments led to defining the speed of light as 299,792,458 m/s.

“On 21 October, we invite all people interested in science and technology to the Institute of Physics of the University of Tartu to take a quick glance at the technologies that will soon have a key role in the technological and economic development of Europe and the entire world,” said Rebane, illustrating the importance of photonics by the fact that in 2014 the Nobel Prizes in both physics and chemistry were related to photonics.

“Photonics is an interdisciplinary field that helps to find solutions to our everyday problems ranging from medicine to modern information society. I am happy that the researchers of the University of Tartu and the businesses based on this research have been contributing to the development of photonics for some time now,” added Marco Kirm, Vice Rector for Research of the University of Tartu.

The most recent cooperation projects of the researchers of the University of Tartu with Estonian enterprises have been related to the enhancements of diagnostic equipment for medical applications and the increase of efficiency of solar panels.

The target audience of the event includes pupils, teachers, entrepreneurs, researchers and all others who are interested in photonics, optics or the facilities of the new Physicum. During the day, visitors can listen to a lecture by Academician and Professor of Wave Optics Peeter Saari, participate in discussions about the development of photonics in Estonia, see experiments with light conducted by Physicist Koit Timpmann and go on a guided tour in the new Physicum.

The Day of Photonics is an initiative of the European Photonics Industry Consortium (EPIC, see http://www.epic-assoc.com/) and it aims to introduce the activities of organisations developing and implementing photonics solutions to a wider public and to draw attention to the economic potential of the field.

This is the first time the Day of Photonics is celebrated in Estonia. In addition to the Institute of Physics of the University of Tartu, a number of Estonian enterprises (see the map) also introduce their activities.

Additional information: Ott Rebane, Industrial Liaison Officer of the Institute of Physics of the University of Tartu, tel: +372 56 299 145, email: ott.rebane@ut.ee.