Photonics is the science and technology of generating, controlling, and detecting light at a microscopic (quantum) level. There are many applications of photonic technology in our information-based society, most notably in telecommunications, medicine, image and information processing, remote sensing, and defense. The graduates of tomorrow with expertise in photonics will design next-generation optical networking equipment (fiber optics), new diagnostic and therapeutic medical instrumentation, new consumer electronics products (e.g., digital cameras, flat-screen TVs and 3D displays, media players), new guidance and targeting technology for advanced weapons systems, and new sensors for homeland security applications.
The Photonics Lab at OU-Tulsa supports research and graduate education in photonics. The lab contains a variety of instrumentation for test and measurement of photonic components, subsystems and systems. The lab also contains optical and mounting components to enable prototype optical system assembly and test.