ATB | Laser Innovations at NIST
- Date:
- Wednesday, June 18, 2025
- Time:
- 11:00am - 12:00pm Eastern Time - US & Canada (change)
- Online:
- This is an online event. Event URL will be sent via registration email.
- Audience:
- All Department of Commerce Staff
ATB | Laser Innovations at NIST Online
Join us for a presentation by Esther Baumann, a research scientist with the Fiber Sources and Applications Group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
In this session, we’ll explore the remarkable world of lasers—tools that power everything from barcode scanners to groundbreaking scientific discoveries. Beyond illumination, lasers have the unique ability to deliver precise measurements of objects that are often difficult to detect with the naked eye.
This talk will spotlight two types of lasers:
- Frequency comb lasers, characterized by their many coherent optical modes simultaneously spanning a broad spectrum, and
- Swept lasers, characterized by a single optical mode that can be swept across a broad spectrum.
Esther will showcase how these technologies are being used in cutting-edge applications including gas imaging, in situ muscle health monitoring, and the precise measurement of objects engulfed in flames.
About Esther Baumann: Esther joined the Fiber Sources and Application Group at NIST in 2008 on a fellowship from the Swiss National Science Foundation. She then became an associate and senior associate, joining the federal staff in 2024. Prior to this, Baumann earned a master’s degree from ETH Zurich in 2003 and a PhD in applied physics in 2007 from the University of Neuchâtel, both in Switzerland. At NIST, Baumann has worked on designing and building fiber frequency combs and exploring innovative laser and frequency comb applications. She is passionate about establishing synergies through cross-disciplinary collaboration, with her work touching diverse fields from high-precision, molecular dual-comb spectroscopy to laser ranging through fire and muscle health assessment. Recently, Baumann shifted her focus to develop the free-form dual-comb platform. This new and improved dual-comb spectrometer is designed to intelligently gather the most pertinent parts of a signal during measurement, making it a more adaptable and versatile tool.
About Around the Bureaus: This series showcases the diverse work of Department of Commerce employees, breaks down silos, and encourages cross-bureau collaboration. If you would like to participate in a future presentation, please reach out to the library for more information.
For webinar help, check out our Webinar FAQs. The Library uses Microsoft Teams for all events. You may be prompted to download the Teams desktop app when joining the event. Joining via the Teams app will provide the best experience, but it is not required; users may also choose to join by browser (Teams is compatible with Chrome and Edge browsers).
Lobby. You will be admitted from the Lobby once the program begins.
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For accommodation requests, including sign language interpreting, please email us at research@doc.gov.
