C17. Commission on Quantum Electronics

Report to the IUPAP Council and Commission Chairs Meeting
Vancouver, BC
September 15, 2003

Quantum electronics research continues to be a key to understanding new physical phenomena. It also contributes strongly to global technologies including optical communications, solar energy and displays.

An example of progress in fundamental physics based on quantum electronics is the continuing search for Bose condensates using semiconductor excitons. Experiments during the past year showed strange optical emission rings that formed around a laser excited spot on a quantum well structure. There was speculation that the dark region between the excited spot and the ring was related to a Bose condensate of excitons. Recently this phenomena has been explained with a model of diffusing electrons and holes around the excited spot. There is still hope that the very cold electrons and holes combining at the ring diameter will Bose condense at sufficiently low temperatures.

In the applied area there has been a dramatic slow down in the optical communications industry. The next phase of optical communications technology may well be installation of optical fiber to local neighborhoods. This is the only way to bring the wide bandwidth necessary for high definition television to the home. Home networks, connecting computers, TV, security, wireless phones and game platforms, are beginning to make an impact on the market. This will add to the already growing volume of data flowing through optical networks. The emphasis today is on low cost optical solutions in the network. Clearly integration of optical components similar to VLSI electronics is one solution to low cost applications. This evolution of optical components and networks will be a growing focus of applications in quantum electronics.

The present membership of Commission 17 is:

Chair: Richart Slusher
Vice Chair: Ryszard Tanas
Secretary: Kennichi Ueda

Members:

Humberto Brandi
Sudhanshu Jha
Alexander Kaminskii
Abraham Katzir
Dieter Meschede
Michel Piche
K. Alan Shore
Irina Veretennicoff
Gabor Sczabo
Jie Zhang

A large number of conferences related to quantum electronics are held every year. Our Commission continues to help sponsor approximately two per year.

This year the International Conference on Squeezed States and Uncertainty was held in Puebla, Mexico on June 9, 2003 was in part funded by IUPAP. Future conferences that are seeking IUPAP advanced endorsement or funding are:

International Quantum Electronics Conference (IQEC) 2005, Japan

and

International Symposium on Modern Problems in Laser Physics
Novosibirsk, Russia
08/22-27/2004

A number of societies are focused in quantum electronics including:

• Optical Society of America
• SPIE - The Optical Engineering Society
• European Optical Society
• IEEE - Lasers and Electro-Optics Society

These organizations continue to grow with the field in membership and volume of publications and also sponsor large numbers of conferences, many with significant industrial participation. However in many cases the registration fees for the conferences exceed the IUPAP guidelines. As a result the types of conferences C17 is tending to sponsor are A type conferences outside of North America and Western Europe as well as more specialized B-type conferences.

C17 is completing an updated webpage. We are also discussing ways to contribute to education, interchange of scientific ideas and joint conferences in developing countries. We are hoping to add to associate members to our commission, one from the ICO and one from the OSA.

In terms of subject area there is active involvement of C-17 with commission C-15 as well as the affiliated commission AC-1, the International Commission on Optics. Our committee membership is broadly distributed throughout the world and many different disciplines are represented.

Richart Slusher
September 15, 2003
IUPAP Chairs Conference