Media

Anthony Oceguera created a video introducing the beauty of interferometry

This video was created by Anthony Oceguera as part of his master’s report project on Interferometry with the Large Optics Fabrication & Test Group at the University of Arizona, Wyant College of Optical Sciences. Please feel free to use these visual demonstrations as class teaching material or for personal reference! The goal of these demos is to act as a visual aid in understanding how interferometers work in a laboratory setting. Prior knowledge on basic interferometry concepts is assumed.

LOFT’s collaborative metalens work with Capasso Group at Harvard

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LOFT group members have been collaborating with the Capasso Group at Harvard for the all-glass large metalens for the astronomical imaging application. The exciting work “All-Glass 100 mm Diameter Visible Metalens for Imaging the Cosmos” led by Dr. Joon-Suh Park has been published on ACS Nano. It is also featured as the journal’s cover page.

Daewook worked with McGraw Hill for high school students

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Daewook and Buddy worked with McGraw Hill publishing company to create an online Actively Learning article “Building Mirrors for Giant Telescopes”. We hope this can serve our high school 9 – 12th grade students by allowing them to read, think, and learn about telescopes and optical sciences. You can check the article here.

Jaren’s paper on the SPIE journal JATIS cover image

JATIS_cover_JarenCongratulations to our Ph.D. student Jaren Ashcraft, the UASAL (led by Ewan Douglas) and LOFT group members, who published the “Hybrid propagation physics for the design and modeling of astronomical observatories: a coronagraphic example” in the SPIE journal JATIS. One of his figures in the paper was selected as the journal’s cover image. Please, check out his great publication regarding the physical beam propagation.

Joel, the winner of Tech Launch Arizona Liftoff Award

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Congratulations to LOFT PhD student, Joel Berkson, for winning the Tech Launch Arizona (TLA) Liftoff Award at the recent IdeaFunding Event on Nov. 9, part of TENWEST. Joel shared about the award, “I’m really looking forward to graduating and working on Fringe full-time. I think we have a lot to offer in our unique approach to precision 3D scanning. I can’t wait to become a part of the growing Optics Valley!” LOFT sends our best wishes to our peer Joel and his startup company, Fringe Metrology!

Daewook enters SPIE leadership

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SPIE has announced the newly elected officials to the SPIE leadership team, which now includes Prof. Daewook Kim, of the Wyant College of Optical Sciences. Prof. Kim was elected as one of four new Society Directors. You can read more.

Daewook talks about his SPIE Short Course

Daewook talks about his Optical Testing Short Course at the SPIE conferences. You can watch the interview by SPIE.

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Daewook wrote a Spotlight Summary for OPTICA

Daewook wrote a Spotlight Summary for the journal paper, “Adaptive parabolic membrane mirrors for large deployable space telescopes” by Sebastian Rabien at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics.

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Siddhartha Sirsi’s paper was selected as the Spotlight on Optics

Siddhartha Sirsi’s paper describing the inflatable telescope metrology was selected as the OPTICA Spotlight on Optics. Congratulations to Siddhartha and the LOFT members who have been contributing to the giant terahertz space telescope project. Read more here.

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Hyemin Yoo’s 3-min public talk about optical alignment (UA GradSlam 2023)

The speaker, Hyemin Yoo, is a Ph.D. student at Wyant College of Optical Sciences. This 3-min public talk explains why ‘optical alignment’ is essential and her excellent work on the development of a new alignment method for optical systems (Paper: https://doi.org/10.1364/AO.475915). Her LOFT peers are so proud of her work enabling precision optics alignments.

Emily and Katie’s outreach video mentored by Daewook

Emily Noethen and Katie Twitchell are Juniors at the University of Arizona James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences. In the video, they walk you through the basic science of telescopes. This video gives a historical and practical overview of the use of telescopes as well as the instructions on how to make your own! Please watch and enjoy!

National Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month featured Margaret Dominguez

LOFT Ph.D. graduate (2019) Dr. Dominquez nicely represents how LOFT peers are colorful, talented, and passionate. She has been featured in the National Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month article by the Wyant College of Optical Sciences.

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If you want to know more about her, please, read this interview article.

Daewook’s ANSYS Advantage magazine article describing GMT & OASIS

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Daewook and Erik wrote an article describing the Extreme Optical Engineering research and development activities at the University of Arizona. It highlights two projects, the Giant Magellan Telescope and the OASIS space terahertz telescope that LOFT peers have been contributing to. The magazine article is available in the link here. (pdf and ANSYS website)

Daewook gives a featured talk at the ANSYS Simulation World 2022

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Daewook presented a featured talk “Extreme optical engineering enabling the Giant Magellan Telescope” at the annual international event, ANSYS Simulation World 2022.

LOFT member Joel dishes up new method to improve radio telescope manufacturing

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Joel Berkson, a third year doctoral student in LOFT group at the University of Arizona James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences and Steward Observatory, has developed a new way for precisely measuring radio antenna surfaces which are used to collect and focus radio waves for astronomy and satellite communications. Please, read the exciting full story of Joel’s adventure at the Tech Launch Arizona.

Sky & Telescope Magazine Article Featuring LOFT Group’s Nautilus Space Telescope

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The Nautilus Space Telescope project has been featured in the Sky & Telescope Magazine Nov 2021 issue celebrating its 80th  anniversary. LOFT group develops the optical engineering technology for the project. Please, check out the Nautilus article page 32 – 33 of the magazine page (or, page 34 – 35 of the pdf page). 

SPIE Instructional Webinar by Daewook Kim

Daewook Kim will provide an SPIE Instructional Webinar “Optical Testing for Ground and Space Telescopes” on 27 July 2021. The recorded Webinar is available at the SPIE webpage.

ANSYS Zemax STAR whitepaper features LOFT’s NASA Aspera mission work

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LOFT peers (Jaren, George, Charlotte, and Daewook) have been a part of ANSYS OpticStudio (Zemax) STOP feature beta program and used it for the design and analysis of the NASA Aspera UV space telescope mission at the University of Arizona. Please, check out the LOFT group’s story featured in the ANSYS Zemax STAR module’s whitepaper.

SPIE Press book chapter authored by Daewook, Logan, and Isaac

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Daewook Kim, Logan Graves, and Isaac Trumper wrote a book chapter “Metrology” for the SPIE Press Book “Review of Optical Manufacturing 2000 to 2020” edited by Aizhong Zhang and Richard N. Youngworth. This book summarizes some of the critical changes that have impacted optical system manufacturing from 2000 to 2020. It evaluates new manufacturing techniques with growing popularity and identifies future trends. The chapters provide a snapshot of the field that conveys the basics of current manufacturing capabilities and promising new techniques. Other topics reviewed include optical materials, optical fabrication, metrology, optical coatings, infrared optical systems, polymer optics, fiber optics, diffractive- and micro-structured optics, and illumination optics. This book is suitable for beginner optical engineers learning about the optics industry and for advanced professionals staying up-to-date with various subfields of optics.

LOFT group’s review paper selected as the SPIE NEWS Top 5 Must Reads 

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LOFT group’s recent review summary paper, Daewook Kim, Heejoo Choi, Trenton Brendel, Henry Quach, Marcos Esparza, Hyukmo Kang, Yi-Ting Feng, Jaren N. Ashcraft, Xiaolong Ke, Tianyi Wang, Ewan S. Douglas, “Advances in Optical Engineering for Future Telescopes,” Opto-Electron Adv 4, 210040 (2021), was selected as one of the SPIE NEWS Top 5 Must Reads (pdf).

EurekAlert and AZO Optics article about LOFT’s recent review paper 

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Researchers led by Professor Daewook Kim from The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA consider advances in optical engineering for future telescopes. Please, read the EurekAlert article and AZO Optics article (or PDF version).

Our LOFT peer Trenton Brendel’s outreach video

LOFT group has a passion for education and outreach! Please, check out this cool outreach demo by Trent Brendel (LOFT PhD student). He talks about “Introduction to Single-Lens Reflex Cameras and Photographic Lenses”. Enjoy!

HISTORICAL LENS: GRADUATE STORIES, ‘OSC AND BEYOND,’ WYANT COLLEGE OF OPTICAL SCIENCES, 1964-2020 (including Dae Wook Kim)

This week’s Watts Up Historical Lens finds focus on OSC’s past alumni. Peruse a collection of thoughts and pictures generously shared with OSC Historian, Tammy Orr, as we walk down memory lane through the eyes of twenty-nine OSC graduates including LOFT peer Dae Wook Kim.

Phys.Org Article: A new lens for life-searching space telescopes

Please, read this Phys.org article explaining the new space telescope concept called Nautilus project. LOFT group is a happy member of the project team.

Dae Wook explaining the GMT2 manufacturing

“Each of the GMT’s seven primary mirrors is 8.4 meters in diameter and takes approximately four years to create. The final stage of work for segment 2 — front surface polishing — took just ten months, significantly faster than for segment 1 due to new polishing and metrology techniques invented at the University of Arizona. With these techniques established, future GMT mirrors should pass through the pipeline faster. Watch a short interview with Dr. Dae Wook Kim of the University of Arizona where he explains these techniques.” Also, please, read the full GMTO Newsletter article here.

Erika on TED (Hyperion Project PI)

Hyperion UV space telescope project team PI, Erika (CC’d), gave a fantastic talk at the TED event. Three LOFT peers, Heejoo, Hyukmo, and Yi-Ting, recently made great contributions for the Hyperion optical system design and analysis. We are happy for our awesome team with great PI and talented colleagues! Congratulation, Erika!

OSA Spotlight on Optics highlights Logan’s (LOFT member) paper 

osa-spotLogan’s recent Optics Express publication, “Infinite deflectometry enabling 2pi-steradian measurement range,” has been chosen for the OSA Spotlight on Optics. Here is a message from OSA. “Spotlight on Optics showcases research produced in out journals-research and information that would be impossible without your talent and contribution. Your paper is in excellent company. Only two papers are highlighted from our respective journals each month from among the scores of fine articles published.” We are happy for this academic contribution from our member recognized by our community.

GMTO Newsletter (interviewed Dae Wook Kim, LOFT peer)

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One of our LOFT peer, Dae Wook Kim, shares his thoughts and happiness with his research, work, and teaching at The University of Arizona. If you are interested in, please, check out his interview article in the Ginat Magellan Telescope Observatory (GMTO) Newsletter or this Article(Photo Credit: Damien Jemison at GMTO)

Great Strides in Optical Fabrication

The Photonics Spectra (Oct 2016) article explains the exciting history of optical fabrication technology developments. (pdf version) You will find LOFT group’s contribution for this exciting world-wide co-efforts and challenges.

How do you build a mirror for one of the world’s biggest telescopes?

The article (The Conversation / Time magazine) explains the giant optics manufacturing process with exciting challenges and enabling technologies.

Arizona NOW Impact (featured Logan Graves, LOFT PhD student)

These two video clips produced by The University of Arizona Foundation demonstrate the impact of donating to the UA.

Giant Magellan Telescope – “A Perfect Mirror”

Dr. Wendy Freedman, Chairman GMT, and Dr. Pat McCarthy, Director GMT, discuss the Giant Magellan Telescope’s mirrors and the science that they will enable.


Optics Outreach Abroad – Chile 2011 – Opening Video

The Astronomical Optics Workshop is an initiative of the Student Optics Chapter and the College of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona together with the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. The 4-day workshop focuses on geometrical optics, aberrations, diffraction, and opto-mechanics, emphasizing their applications for telescopes, instrumentation, and any other opto-mechanical system.

Additionally, the program features outreach to several high schools in Santiago with the goal of motivating young students in the sciences and optics and inspiring their participation in the future of astronomy and optics in Chile.

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This educational optics video was prepared by Wenrui Cai.

Moire and More!

This educational optics video was produced by Sara Lampen.

Marck Quezada’s (San Miguel High intern) Optical Science Kits

The CWSP program at San Miguel High School allows students to gain work experience that will benefit them in the future.  Marck Quezada, a senior at San Miguel High School, joined LOFT group as an internship student in 2021-2022, worked with Daewook, and conducted a video of how optical science can be connected to anything around them because many people are unable to view optical science in their surroundings, Marck presented two instances of how optical science might be experienced from the comfort of one’s own home.

Vedant Janapaty’s (Silver Creek High School) Python Coding Project

Hello, my name is Vedant Janapaty and I worked on a research project with Professor Daewook Kim at the University of Arizona. Our project simulated Snell’s Law using Python Code. Snell’s Law is a formula used to describe the relationship between the angles of incidence and refraction, with regards to light. This project sought to plot both reflection and refraction using python code. The initial code accounted for refraction, the ability for light to pass through the surface. I extended this code to account for reflection. My results are summarized in this video. The original Python code is from the Vlabs project.

Customized Computer Generated Hologram for Optical Testing

The null testing set-up using a customized computer generated hologram (CGH) in a Mach Zehnder interferometer is demonstrated in this video clip.



This video clip was prepared by Dae Wook Kim, Rene Zehnder, Hyun Gyoung An, and James Burge.

Disassembling a LCD Display while it is still working

We want to show how the LCD works in this clip. The world largest LCD pixel is introduced, and the working LCD panel is disassembled while it is still turned-on.

This video clip was prepared by Dae Wook Kim and Nathan Meraz.

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