Versatile Ultrafast lasers – applications of tailored light

In this talk I would like to introduce myself and the smartLAS research group here at Heriot-Watt. We seek to lead the way in the development of a new generation of ultrafast lasers. We aim to demonstrate a platform from which lasers can be designed to address a wide range of user-specific requirements with 'smart' computer aided design features. Although vibronic crystals have been deployed widely in ultrashort-pulse lasers the flexibility offered by conventional laser designs is very limited. To remedy this situation we intend to revolutionize cavity design to enable electrical control of the laser output parameters. In my talk I will give an overview of previous and future work as well as detail some applications example in biophotonics and laser machining.