Gold-fluid-glass: enhancing light-matter interactions with nanoparticles in photonic liquid crystal fiber microstructures
	Prof. Tomasz R. Woliński
	Warsaw University of Technology, Poland

Abstract

Photonic crystal fibers filled with liquid crystals (LCs) offer a high level of tunability due to significantly improved control of their spectral, polarizing, and guiding properties. Due to high electric field sensitivity and thermo-optic properties, they are still promising novel optical materials for developing modern photonic sensors and in-fiber telecommunication devices, providing interesting tunable properties. Recently, gold nanoparticles-doped nematic liquid crystals were found to significantly lower threshold voltage and speed up response times to a few milliseconds by interacting with liquid crystals in microstructured photonic liquid crystal fibers. 

In this work, the optical properties of the selected photonic microstructures doped with gold nanoparticles based on various liquid crystal materials are discussed. Starting from early works with classical optical fibers with liquid crystals we present the latest achievements in the field of liquid crystal infiltrated photonic crystal fibers modified by using metallic (gold) nanoparticles. These properties are of the highest importance since they allow for improved operating parameters of perspective optofluidic photonic switching devices. It has been shown that the photonic liquid crystal microstructures doped by gold nanoparticles can provide promising tunable optical properties simultaneously enhancing temperature stability of the LC-system providing promising optical materials for realizing electro-optical modulation and switching as well tunable filter applications and sensing capabilities providing better transmission properties.

Biography

Professor Tomasz R. Wolinski (Ph.D. in Physics in 1985 and D.Sc. in Physics-Optics in 1995) has held the position of Head of the Optics and Photonics Division within the Faculty of Physics at Warsaw University of Technology for more than 25 years. He also chairs the university's Photonics Technologies Priority Research Area and the Scientific Discipline Council – Physical Sciences. As a Fellow of SPIE and an Optica Senior Member, he has been acknowledged for his exceptional achievements and commitment to advancing the field. Since 2008, he has served as the President of the Photonics Society of Poland, playing a pivotal role in fostering collaboration, innovation, and knowledge exchange within the Polish and global photonics community. Throughout his career, he has co-authored more than 400 journal and conference papers, 7 patents (USA, Canada, Poland), and 5 review chapters (Progress in Optics, Encyclopedia of Opt. Eng., Wiley, Springer, Elsevier) in the field of liquid crystal photonics, fiber optics, and photonic devices. In 2009, he was honored as a Laureate of the Foundation for Polish Science MASTER Program in Photonic Liquid Crystals Fibers. His current research areas include nanoparticles-based liquid crystals, photonic (liquid) crystal fibers, fiber-based optofluidics, and optical fiber sensors and systems.

	Recent Advances in Optical Fiber Communication- Sensing-Integrated Networks (OFC-S-IN)
	Prof. Yun-Jiang Rao
	University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

Biography
Yun-Jiang Rao (IEEE/OSA/SPIE Fellow) was the Dean with the School of Communication & Information Engineering and the School of Graduates at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) during 2005-2015, and is currently the founding Director and Chair Professor of Fiber Optics Research Center (FORC) in Key Lab of Optical Fiber Sensing & Communications (China’s Ministry of Education) at UESTC, and the Chief Scientist of Optical Science and Technology (Chengdu) Ltd., China. He was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the University of Strathclyde in Scotland, UK, during 1991-1992 and then a Research Fellow/Senior Research Fellow in the University of Kent at Canterbury, UK, during 1992-1999. He is also the winner of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars of China in 2000, Chair Professor of Cheung Kong Scholars Program in 1999. He has authored or coauthored >300 journal papers including Nature, Science Advances, Nature Communications, et al, and gained >10000 citations (H-index >50). He also authored three books and three book chapters. He holds 10 issued U.S. patents and >100 Chinese patents. He served as an Associate Editor of IEEE/OSA Journal of Lightwave Technology, and is the founding Editor-in-Chief of Photonic Sensors. He founded Asia-Pacific Optical Sensor Conferences (APOS) in 2008 and has been serving as a TPC member for the International Conferences on Optical Fiber Sensors (OFS) since 2006. He is the inventor of the ultra-sensitive DAS (uDAS) instrument and the co-founder of the Optical Science & Technology (Chengdu) Ltd., which becomes the leader in OFS applications to oil/gas exploration in China. His main research interests focus on optical fiber sensors & applications.

	Next Generation Optical Transport Technologies for Computing Power Network
	Dr. Xiongyan Tang
	VP and Chief Scientist, China Unicom Research Institute

Abstract

Computing power network has become the key information infrastructure in the digital economy era. This presentation will focus on all optical transport technologies for computing power network. Firstly, the background of the national "East Data, West Computing" project will be introduced, and the requirements of AI-driven computing infrastructure on transport networks will be discussed. Then this presentation will analyze the current status and development trend of some key optical technologies including C+L-band 400G/800Gbps transmission systems for data center interconnections，optical circuit switching for data center networking, and hollow core fibers for lower latency transmission. Finally, this presentation will give China Unicom's practice of building all-optical base for "East Data, West Computing" project.

Biography
Dr. Xiongyan Tang is now the VP and Chief Scientist of China Unicom Research Institute. He also acts as the director of National Engineering Research Center for Next Generation Internet Broadband Services. He’s a guest professor of Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (BUPT). He’s a member of the Telecom Technology Committee of Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. He has more than 20 years of experience in technology management and R&D of innovative ICT technologies. His professional fields include broadband communications, optical transmission and networks, Internet of things, and future networks.