On 1st December 2024, Keitaro Shimada (D3 at the time of award) , Associate Professor Keiichi Nakagawa, Department of Bioengineering, recieved Optical Design Special Award, The Optical Society of Japan (OSJ).
From left to right: Shimada-san, Associate Prof. Nakagawa
Optical Design Special Award, The Optical Society of Japan (OSJ)
Optical Design Award is presented annually by the Optical Design Group of The Optical Society of Japan (OSJ) to recognize outstanding research, technologies, and inventions in the field of optical design. The 27th Optical Design Award Ceremony and commemorative lecture were held during the Annual Meeting of The Optical Society of Japan (Optics & Photonics Japan 2024), widely recognized as a leading platform for disseminating information on optics in Japan.
About awarded research
“Development of a GHz Burst Pulse Generation Method with Individually Modulated Phase Profiles”
Keitaro Shimada, Keiichi Nakagawa
We developed a method named “Spectrum Shuttle” for generating GHz burst pulses from ultrashort pulse lasers, where the spatial profiles of individual pulses can be independently shaped. Burst pulse generation is critical in ultrafast imaging and laser processing. However, conventional methods faced limitations in achieving GHz-range operation and individual pulse shaping. The Spectrum Shuttle employs an innovative optical design, utilizing two parallel mirrors to manipulate wavelengths in three-dimensional space. Combined with a spatial light modulator, it precisely controls the delay and shape of each wavelength component, enabling the generation of GHz burst pulses with individually modulated phase profiles and pulse intervals ranging from 10 ps to 10 ns.
Your impression & future plan
We are deeply honored to receive this prestigious award. It is a testament to our efforts in advancing optical technology and will serve as a great encouragement for our future research endeavors. We are profoundly grateful to professors and collaborators who have supported us. Based on the technologies developed in this research, we will continue to pursue our studies with the goal of contributing to society through new discoveries and the provision of innovative technologies.