mastodon 4.7.3Fraunhofer IOF – Photonics made in Jena
Innovative impetus for aerospace 🚀
Last week, the annual conference of the Fraunhofer Aviation&Space alliance took place at Fraunhofer IOF.
Together with partners, the initiative develops roadmaps and promotes projects to strengthen infrastructure and communication in orbit, for example.
A big thank you to all participants, speakers, and the two offices of the alliance for the valuable exchange and great cooperation—together we are shaping the future of #aviation & #Space ! ✨
#Upcoming | What potential does quantum imaging and sensing research hold for industry?
Take part in the #QPIH “Imaging and Sensing” Workshop and gain insights into the future of #quantum imaging and sensing application directly from expert researchers.
🗓️March 26, 2026
📍Fraunhofer IOF
✨participation free of charge
Register here until March 12, 2026 👉https://www.iof.fraunhofer.de/en/events/training-and-courses/quantum-hub.html#607602178889
#News | Andreas Tünnermann receives Fraunhofer Coin: Recognition for long-standing commitment to research, transfer, and networking — Institute director honored for his outstanding services to the @fraunhofergesellschaft@wisskomm.social .
Read more about it here: https://www.iof.fraunhofer.de/en/News/Fraunhofer-Coin.html
#News | The eyes and ears of artificial intelligence
They are the silent heroes of the #AI age: sensors. They give humans and machines unprecedented insights into the world around us and even within us. This makes it all the more important to develop new technologies for precise and durable #sensors. As part of the RUBIN funding program, the QUANTIFISENS alliance worked together on the further development of such sensors.
Read more about their developments 👉https://www.iof.fraunhofer.de/en/pressrelease/2025/quantifisens.html
Shape your future with Fraunhofer!
On October 28th you will have the opportunity to learn more about current career opportunities at Fraunhofer IOF. Visit us on October 28 at inova - the career fair at TU Ilmenau! 👨🔬
Together with the Fraunhofer Institutes Fraunhofer IDMT, Fraunhofer IIS and Fraunhofer IOSB-AST you will find us at booth B08.
More information about your career at Fraunhofer IOF 👉 https://www.iof.fraunhofer.de/en/jobs.html
#Upcoming | Applied Photonics Award 2026
Let’s head towards the future at the speed of light! 💡
Until June 30, 2026, students and doctoral candidates can once again apply for the Applied Photonics Award, that celebrates outstanding theses in the field of innovative photonic technologies!
Check out our website for all the details on the application process 👉 https://www.applied-photonics-award.de/en.html
For this year’s International Women’s Day, we don’t want to talk about women in science, but with them. That’s why we interviewed three outstanding female scientists at Fraunhofer IOF about their research, their paths into science, and the realities they encounter along the way. 👩🔬
Meet quantum researchers Johanna Conrad, Monika Dhinwa and Meritxell Cabrejo Ponce. 💜
Full interviews on our website: https://www.iof.fraunhofer.de/en/jobs/more-women-in-photonics.html?utm_campaign=FRAUNPOWER
#News | Within the joint research project #DIKUQ, Fraunhofer IOF and its partners developed a partially automated process chain for the cold forming of ship components. 🛥️
The project resulted in a high-speed inline #3D measurement system that captures the workpiece at the press and enables real-time target–actual comparisons.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WYh5K23Fhs
Press Release: https://www.iof.fraunhofer.de/en/pressrelease/2026/project-dikuq.html
Next week, our researchers are heading to San Francisco for SPIE Photonics West.
You will find them presenting work on
➡️ laser soldering, quantum computing and photon sources
➡️ laser and fiber technologies
➡️ integrated nanophotonics and waveguide structures
Our team is looking forward to exchanging perspectives during their talks.
Program and presentation details here 👉
https://spie.org/conferences-and-exhibitions/photonics-west/program/browse-program?term=Fraunhofer%20IOF&pageSize=50&pagesVisited=1&sortBy=Relevance
See you in San Francisco 👋
#News | Fraunhofer IOF researchers receive Quantum Future Award 2025
Triple victory for young quantum researchers 🏆
Two researchers from Fraunhofer IOF and the Institute of Applied Physics Jena have been honored with the Quantum Future Award of the @Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt for their theses in applied quantum technologies.
Congratulations to Dr. Marta Gilaberte Basset and Trevor Vrckovnik 👏
https://www.iof.fraunhofer.de/en/News/Quantum-Future-Award-2025.html
Today we welcomed Friedrich Merz and Thuringia’s Minister-President Mario Voigt to Fraunhofer IOF in Jena.
Institute director Andreas Tünnermann and president of Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft Holger Hanselka guided the guests through our newest quantum labs and research building.
Thank you for this visit and for sending a strong signal for Thuringia as a location for innovation. ✨
#News |
As part of the #QuNET project, researchers have shown how quantum key distribution (QKD) can work reliably across hybrid and mobile channels. 🔐
From 2021 to 2025, the project partners demonstrated in several key experiments how a broad range of technologies can be combined to build quantum-secured communication. The results are now published in the New Journal of Physics and mark important milestones for technological sovereignty in Germany. 👉 https://lnkd.in/eTyXJFJt
#ZeroDebris by 2030
The ESA Zero Debris Charter sets an ambitious goal for the sustainable use of space. During the Space Tech Expo in Bremen, Fraunhofer AVIATION & SPACE officially joined this commitment by signing the charter.👏
At Fraunhofer IOF, this mission is already becoming technology. Metal-optical systems developed in projects like Rainbow are engineered to burn up entirely during re-entry into the orbit.
👉 https://www.iof.fraunhofer.de/en/pressrelease/2025/rainbow.html
How healthy is a field, how nutrient-rich is the soil? In the future, answers to these questions could be provided by a view from space. 🌍🔭
In the ESA project “Rainbow,” researchers at Fraunhofer IOF have collaborated with Airbus to develop a novel telescope for Earth observation. They are using it to demonstrate the concept of a spectrometer-on-chip that enables hyperspectral measurements in a particularly compact system.
Read more about the technology here 👉
https://www.iof.fraunhofer.de/en/pressrelease/2025/rainbow.html
Meet Fraunhofer IOF at Space Tech Expo Europe 2025
From November 18–20, Fraunhofer IOF will present cutting-edge optical technologies for space applications at the Space Tech Expo Europe in Bremen.
From high-resolution Earth observation to laser-based systems for Mars exploration and quantum-secure satellite communication, our applications are driving Europe’s progress in space.
Stop by the Speakers Corner at booth M22 for live talks by our experts. 🎤
https://www.iof.fraunhofer.de/en/events/fairs-exhibitions/STE.html
#Upcoming | The path to global quantum internet at the Otto Lummer Colloquium
On November 7, Prof. Dr. Fabian Steinlechner, head of the Photonic Quantum Systems department at Fraunhofer IOF, will take a closer look at the potential and challenges of the second quantum revolution at the Otto Lummer Colloquium in Gera. ⚛️
More information on the lecture and the colloquium👉 https://www.otto-lummer-kolloquium.de/optische-quantentechnologie/
Jena will once again become the meeting place for photonics in December!
The Jena LIGHT – Photonic Integrated Circuits Conference will take place from December 1 to 3. The focus will be on PICs, their manufacture, integration, and characterization, with contributions from international experts.
💬 Lectures, poster sessions, and lab tours will be offered.
🧠 Poster contributions are welcome; registration is open until November 14:
👉 https://www.light-conference.uni-jena.de/
#Upcoming | Fraunhofer IOF at Quantum Photonics 2026
Quantum Photonics 2026 is just around the corner, and next week Fraunhofer IOF will be heading to Erfurt.
At our booth, we will showcase technologies for quantum computing, secure communication networks and advanced photonic applications.You can also meet us in the conference program on Wednesday, May 6.
👉 More info: https://www.iof.fraunhofer.de/en/events/fairs-exhibitions/quantum-photonics.html?utm_campaign=SOCIAL26
See you in Erfurt, Hall 2, booth 616! 👋
#News | Research on High-Power Laser Systems awarded Best Student Paper Award
At this year’s SPIE Photonics Europe, Friedrich Möller was awarded the Best Student Paper Award for his research on “Simultaneous suppression of TMI and SBS in polarization-maintaining fiber amplifiers.” 👏
His research introduces a new approach to polarization-maintaining fiber amplifiers that significantly expands the performance limits of fiber laser systems.
Read more 👉 https://www.iof.fraunhofer.de/en/News/Best-Student-Paper-Award-2026.html
#News | Large-area nanostructures with atomic precision
Using conventional methods, high-precision nanostructures on photonic components can currently only be produced up to a size of 30 cm. Researchers in Thuringia are now working on the development of a new machine that will be able to create nanostructures spanning up to one square meter in the future—with a positioning accuracy smaller than an atom.
Read more here 👉https://www.iof.fraunhofer.de/en/pressrelease/2026/3D-NLM-machine.html
@unijena@mastodon.social @dfg_public@wisskomm.social @TU Ilmenau
#Upcoming | Space missions without optics? Hardly imaginable. 🔭
What this looks like in practice and what Fraunhofer IOF is contributing in this field, will be the focus of Dr. Matthias Goy's talk "“From Telescopes to Quantum Key Distribution: Space Activities at Fraunhofer IOF” (in German) at the Space Night Jena.
👉 28 April, 5:50 PM
🧭Auditorium, EAH Jena
Anyone interested in how optics from Fraunhofer IOF are helping shape the space technologies of tomorrow is welcome to join us. 👋