Applied Nanophotonics, Liquid Crystals and Biomedical Optics

The second Weiglhofer Symposium on Electromagnetic Theory concluded with a round table discussion on “Future Developments.” The panel featured Ibrahim Abdulhalim from the ECE School at Ben Gurion University, Gérard Gouesbet from the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Rouen, Gerhard Kristensson from Lund University, Guy Vandenbosch from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, and Theo Rasing from Radboud University Nijmegen, who also served as the chair. All participants in the symposium actively engaged in the discussion. In their opening statements, the panelists highlighted the critical role of Electromagnetism—particularly in the fields of Optics and Photonics—in addressing some of today’s most pressing societal challenges, including Energy, Climate, and Health. The ability to process vast amounts of data rapidly and with significantly improved energy efficiency is vital in these areas, and optics is poised to play a central role. The exponential rise in energy consumption due to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) demands more energy-efficient Information Technology (IT). Light is expected to be crucial not only for the fast and energy-efficient transport of data but also for computation itself. Emerging technologies such as wave-based and neuromorphic computing with light are promising but require much more research. Edge computing, which involves the direct analysis of data from numerous sensors, is another area of interest that necessitates the development of real-time solutions for inverse problems—a challenge that is not yet fully met and requires further research.