Laser matter interaction is the response generated when a large amount of coherent energy is focused into a confined region of the material. Recent progress has generated a multitude of laser systems with varying power, wavelength, and intensities. As a result, laser matter interaction is a wide, complex field of research with large application areas. In this talk, I will highlight the work within the Fiber optics, Lasers, and Integrated photonics Research lab, wherein we utilize laser matter interaction in four different areas of research – Additive manufacturing, Optical sensors, and Material Characterization and Plasma with some of the applications in Thermal energy storage, Manufacturing, sensing and nuclear field.
Nirmala Kandadai is an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Science Engineering at Oregon State University. She completed her Ph.D. at The University of Texas at Austin in 2012. After her Ph.D., she worked for a year as a postdoctoral fellow at The University of Texas at Austin, and then 3 years as a Laser Scientist at National energetics. At National Energetics, she led her team in designing and building high power ultrafast laser systems, including the front end of a 10 PW laser system for the European Union’s Extreme Light Infrastructure Beamlines facility (ELI-Beamlines). She moved to Boise as a research assistant professor in 2016 and became a tenure track assistant professor in 2019. She moved to Oregon in 2022 as an assistant professor in EECS. At Oregon State University, she is the director of the Fiber Optics, Laser, and Integrated Research (FLAIR)lab. She was awarded Idaho Business reviews Accomplished Under 40 in 2022 and is a senior member of IEEE.