Rays and Waves

Metaoptics, OCT, and the Future of Lung Biopsies with Reza Khorasani - Ep 18

During a lung biopsy, physicians must navigate a needle to a suspected lesion deep within the body, often with limited visibility of the tissue directly in front of the n

Interferometry for Precision Metrology with Zygo’s Xavier Colonna de Lega - Ep 17

While massive interferometers orbit the earth or span kilometers to detect gravitational waves, the real workhorses of optical metrology live quietly on the benches of op

Binoculars, an optical superpower through engineering - Ep 16

A pair of binoculars might be the closest thing to a superpower you can buy. That is how a friend once described them while gifting a pair to his wife, and it is easy to

A space telescope architect’s odyssey from Hubble to Webb and beyond with Lee Feinberg - Ep 15

From Hubble’s breathtaking images to the deep infrared view of the James Webb Space Telescope, space-based observatories have transformed how we see the universe. They re

Project Silica and the future of data storage with James Clegg - Ep 14 - Rays and Waves

In a quiet laboratory, bursts of ultrafast laser light are etching humanity’s information deep inside glass, layer by layer, voxel by voxel. Long after today’s hard drive

LIGO and the birth of gravitational-wave astronomy with Gabriele Vajente - Ep 13 - Rays and Waves

1.3 billion years ago, two black holes collided in a distant galaxy, sending ripples through the fabric of spacetime. On September 14, 2015, those ripples finally reached

Optical tweezers with Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop - Ep 12 - Rays and Waves

In this episode of Rays and Waves, Daniel and Steven take a nostalgic dive back into the world where they both began their scientific journeys: optical tweezers. These re

An Optomechanics Bootcamp with Nathan Wallace - Ep 11 - Rays and Waves

When we think about optical systems, lenses and light often steal the spotlight. But behind every high-performance optical instrument lies a critical foundation: Optomech

AI in Optical Engineering Panel Discussion - Ep 10 - Rays and Waves

The current narrative is that Artificial Intelligence is reshaping industries at breakneck speed. Is optics no exception? In this special episode of Rays and Waves Daniel

An Unsung Hero: Optical Standards with Eric Herman - Ep 9 - Rays and Waves

Standards may not grab headlines, but they quietly shape the world. In this episode of Rays and Waves, we shine a light on the unsung hero of modern optical engineering:

Erwin De Baetselier and Luceda's first-time-right automated PIC design- Ep 8 - Rays and Waves

In this episode, we sit down with Erwin De Baetselier, the CEO of Luceda, a company at the forefront of software innovation for Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs). As PI

Miniaturising Optics with Photonic Integrated Circuits - Ep 7 - Rays and Waves

In this episode, we explore the rise of Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs), which aim to compress the sprawling optical setups found on lab benches into compact, chip-sc

Gerard Milburn's Path to Photonic Quantum Computing and Beyond - Ep 6 - Rays and Waves

In the last episode of Rays and Waves about linear optical quantum computers we discussed how using photons as qubits is good in many ways. However, the biggest hurdle is

Optical Quantum Computers - Ep 5 - Rays and Waves

In this episode of Rays and Waves we speak about Linear Optical Quantum Computers. There has been lots of talk about quantum computers in the science media lately. Both

Tracing 'A Pencil of Rays' with Katsumoto Ikeda - Ep 4 - Rays and Waves

In this episode of Rays and Waves we speak to Katsumoto Ikeda. Kats runs a brilliant webpage about optical design called “A Pencil of Rays” (https://www.pencilofrays.com/

Mark Nicholson's Optical Design Journey - Ep 3 - Rays and Waves

In this episode of Rays and Waves we speak to Mark Nicholson. Few people have made a bigger impact on how modern optics is designed and analysed. Mark was for 30 years in

Introducing 'Rays and Waves' - A New Optics Podcast

In this episode of Rays and Waves we get to know the podcast purpose and the hosts a bit. Join Daniel and Steve in the episodes to come as they explore the vast world of

Optical Communication - Ep 1 - Rays and Waves

In this episode of Rays and Waves we speak about Optical Communication. Join Daniel and Steve as they explore how information transfer through hair-thin glass fibres are

Optical Design - Ep 2 - Rays and Waves

In this episode of Rays and Waves we speak about Optical Design. Optical products are all around us, ranging from phones, cameras, cars, communication, grocery shopping,