Photonics

By the light

Said to be the latest, greatest and fastest growing industry in Australia, and predicted to produce around 18 000 new jobs by 2010.

But what is it?

Photonics is the technology that uses light, almost always from a laser. Often this means sending information from one place to another. It might be words and pictures, music and video, voice, internet, or almost anything else you can think of.

Simply translate the information into pulses of a laser beam, fire it down a thin fibre of glass (an optic fibre), translate it back at the other end and hey presto, you're downloading the latest interactive movies from across the world in a fraction of a second.

Want to know more?

• What's an optic fibre?
• How does a laser work?
• How useful is photonics really?
• How do you send information with light?

Or you can try these external links:

• The Photonics Institute
• The Photonics Dictionary
• Electrotechnology Careers Guide
• There's even the Britney Spears Guide to Semiconductor Physics