1. Laser Physics and Optics in Belarus National Academy of Sciences of Belarus B.I. Stepanov Institute of Physics of the NAS of Belarus Belarussian Republican Foundation for Fundamental Research V. A. Orlovich 2011 / 1

2. Laser and photonics branches of industry in Belarus (I) In Belarus there is a great number of state, joint- stock, private and joint enterprises and firms, which work in various areas:  development and production of industrial equipment for the production of optical components  production of laser and nonlinear crystals and elements made of them  elaboration and production of lasers for various purposes, nonlinear-optical converters, spectral equipment, technological and medicine laser equipment 2011 / 2

3. Laser and photonics branches of industry in Belarus (II) Examples of optical elements being produced by Belarussian companies and firms More than 50 years in National Academy of Sciences of Belarus are designed and made optical elements to use in laser and spectroscopic applications. We specialize in the productions of small batches of optical elements with non-standard optical parameters, dimensions and forms available to various customers requirements. The optical elements made of a variety of crystals and glasses are characterized by high-quality spectral and operational standards and designed to work in the spectral range 250 - 3000 nm. Optical Windows; Dielectric Mirrors& AR Coatings; Interference Filters; Fabry-Perot Interferometers; Polarization optics (Prisms, Lenses); Deep Optical Contact Elements 2011 / 3

4. Laser and photonics branches of industry in Belarus (III) The following laser and nonlinear-optical crystals as well as optical elements of them are produced: Potassium-gadolinium tungstate doped with neodymium;Potassium-gadolinium tungstate doped with neodymium; Titanium sapphire;Titanium sapphire; Forsterite;Forsterite; Cobalt doped spinel;Cobalt doped spinel; Yttrium vanadate;Yttrium vanadate; Gadolinium vanadateGadolinium vanadate 2011 / 4

5. Laser and photonics branches of industry in Belarus (IV) Belarussian industry produces power supplies and cooling units for solid state lasers, solid state nanosecond lasers with repetition rate up to 100 Hz and pulse energy to 1 J, OPO’s, Raman shifters, forsterite, titanium sapphire lasers, continuous and quasi-continuous solid-state lasers, picosecond lasers, diode-pumped femtosecond lasers, laser sets for cutting, dicing, laser photolithographic sets, spectral equipment, laser medicine instruments, and others. 2011 / 5

6. International cooperation in the field of laser physics and photonics (I)  Within existence of the Soviet Union there was an extensive cooperation of the Belarussian scientists with their colleagues from Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and also from Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, GDR and also from other countries.  Since the early 1990s cooperation of the Belarussian scientists with the scientists of Germany, Italy, France, England, the USA, Japan, China, India, and other countries is intensively developing 2011 / 6

7. International cooperation in the field of laser physics and photonics (II)  Many projects carried out in Belarus found financial support of various international funds (ISTC, INTAS, NATO for peace, et al);  International Scientific Laboratory for Optical Diagnostics has been established (Prof. N. Kazak);  Scientific Centre of Central European Initiative for Laser Physics, Nonlinear optics and applications has been founded (Prof. V. Orlovich);  The Belarussian Republican Foundation for Fundamental Research offers the financial support for the cooperation of belarussian scientists with collegues from 29 countries. 2011 / 7

8. Organizationof laser and photonics investigation in Belarus Organization of laser and photonics investigation in Belarus 1. Financing of exploratory development and fundamental investigations by the Belarussian Republican Foundation for Fundamental Research. The annual number of projects financed in the field of lasers and optics mounts to about 60 (Council Chairman of this Foundation Prof. V. Orlovitch). 2. Fundamental, focused and applied research state programs. Within the framework of these programs, full-scale investigations are carried out, which mainly end in creation of prototypes of new devices, materials, technologies. Since 2011, program “Electronics and Photonics" has been in force, in the framework of which more than 25 projects are financed in the field of photonics, and more than 200 doctors of science and Professors participate (Scientific leader Prof. V.Orlovitch). 3. State scientific-engineering programs aimed at commercial products, materials and technologies. Since 2011 program "Optiel" has been running, in the framework of which more than 20 projects are realized (Scientific leader Prof. V.Kabanov). By now, Belarus has a logically interconnected system of budgetary financing of research activities and innovational projects 2011 / 8

9. Directions of Investigations in Belarus in the Nearest Years (I) 2. The principles of creating new samples of laser and optical technique for applications in industry, device making, medicine, defense, scientific studies, metrology (improving output parameters, new spectral ranges, new principles of controlling laser beams, creating femtosecond lasers, the sources of radiation in VUV and terra-Hertz ranges). 1. The fundamental problems of laser physics and interaction of laser radiation with matter (light fields of non-trivial spatial and temporal structure; single photons; Bessel beams; femtosecond pulses). 2011 / 9

10. Directions of Investigations in Belarus in the Nearest Years (II) 4. Photophysics of molecular systems, photobiology, laser therapy and surgery (new methods and devices for studying, manipulating and detecting molecular objects; new methods of medical diagnostics, methods and devices for laser therapy and surgery, etc.). 3. Creating new laser and nonlinear optical materials (new single-crystal and nano-structural materials; improving the technology of growing; laser crystalline glass-ceramics). 2011 / 10

11. Directions of Investigations in Belarus in the Nearest Years (III) 6. Developing the highly sensitive analytic and diagnostic methods and devices using lasers and optical radiation (atomic emission analysis, Raman spectroscopy, near-field scanning microscopy (10 nm); laser monitoring, fluorescent microscopy of early cancer diagnostics). 6. Developing the highly sensitive analytic and diagnostic methods and devices using lasers and optical radiation (atomic emission analysis, Raman spectroscopy, near-field scanning microscopy (10 nm); laser monitoring, fluorescent microscopy of early cancer diagnostics). 5. Developing optical methods and devices for metrology in industry (non-contact control of product quality; observing the defects in silicon wafers; control of product shape; diagnostics of nano- and microstructures). 2011 / 11

12. Directions of Investigations in Belarus in the Nearest Years (IV) 8. Quantum informatics (the backgrounds of making quantum informative systems and operations with quantum objects; the studies of model structural elements of quantum informative systems; quantum cryptography). 7. Nano-photonics (photophysics of semiconductor and metal nanostructures; new materials and components for optical technique; optical methods of diagnostics of nanostructures and nanomaterials, application of nanomaterials in medicine). 2011 / 12

13. Directions of Investigations in Belarus in the Nearest Years (V) 10. Developing and creating new technologies in the field of non-organic semiconductors (the technologies of growing heterostrutures, the technologies of creating powerful pulsed and continuous-wave semiconductor lasers; developing diode-pumped lasers, etc.). 9. Developing and application of laser and information technologies of machining the materials (technologically oriented studies of the processes of interaction of powerful laser radiation with matter; creating new computerized technological systems). 2011 / 13

14. Creation of new photonics sectors in industry of Belarus 2. Development of sun photoelectrical elements for power generation. 1. Development of light-emitted diodes; serial production of such diodes and devices based on them. 2011 / 14

15. Conclusions with many countries, including also Republic of Korea 3. Belarus scientists take part in international scientific cooperation. However, it is necessary to widen and deepen this cooperation with many countries, including also Republic of Korea. 2. In the nearest time it is supposed to concentrate the studies in Laser Physics and Optics in the directions which are the most important for Belarus and for increase of industry export potential of Belarus. 1. The studies in Laser Physics and Optics in Belarus have started many tens of years ago. At the present time, these studies are developing sufficiently successfully. Based on the data of American company “Tomson Scientific”, Belarus is the second after Canada by the number of references to one publication in photonics (2008). 2011 / 15 Thank you for the attention!