Ultrafast Optics: From Fundamental Science to Applications

A special issue of Photonics (ISSN 2304-6732).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 96

Special Issue Editor

School of Instrumentation and Optoelectronic Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
Interests: ultrafast lasers; optical frequency combs; nanophotonics; laser photonics; metasurface optics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Ultrafast optics provide a key observation method for revealing the transient dynamic behavior of photons. Boasting extreme temporal manipulation capabilities, multidimensional spatiotemporal modulation, and ultrahigh measurement precision, ultrafast optics demonstrates immense application potential in optical communication, environmental monitoring, spectroscopy, material processing, biomedicine, and other fields.

In an era marked by groundbreaking advancements in photonics, ultrafast optics stands at the forefront of transformative technology, poised to redefine both scientific inquiry and practical innovation. Currently, further research is essential to advance both the fundamental science and practical applications of ultrafast optics. For fundamental science, it is imperative to systematically investigate the nonlinear dynamic evolution mechanisms in pulsed laser systems. Meanwhile, the regulatory mechanisms of how metasurfaces act on optical fields to achieve on-demand dynamic control of optical field characteristics also need to be explored. In terms of applications, enabled by these characteristics, ultrafast lasers are adopted in different technologies, each of which presents its own challenges. For example, optical frequency combs have important application value in the field of spectroscopy due to their excellent time domain and frequency domain characteristics. However, conventional optical frequency combs require bulky laser architectures that impose fundamental limitations on cost, power efficiency, and system integration, necessitating the development of chip-scale microcavity optical frequency combs with compact nonlinear photonic engineering.

This Special Issue aims to present an informative and inspiring collection of articles on fundamental science and applications in ultrafast optics. Research reports and reviews are both welcomed, and researchers are invited to submit their contributions to this Special Issue on topics that include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Ultrafast photonics;
  • Laser photonics;
  • Nanophotonics;
  • Metasurface optics;
  • Fiber optics;
  • Nonlinear dynamics;
  • On-chip microcavity;
  • Optical frequency combs;
  • Laser absorption spectroscopy.

Dr. Bo Fu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Photonics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • ultrafast photonics
  • laser photonics
  • nanophotonics
  • metasurface optics
  • fiber optics
  • nonlinear dynamics
  • on-chip microcavity
  • optical frequency combs
  • laser absorption spectroscopy

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

15 pages, 6035 KiB  
Article
Machine Learning-Assisted Optimization of Femtosecond Laser-Induced Superhydrophobic Microstructure Processing
by Lifei Wang, Yucheng Gu, Xiaoqing Tian, Jun Wang, Yan Jia, Junjie Xu, Zhen Zhang, Shiying Liu and Shuo Liu
Photonics 2025, 12(6), 530; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics12060530 - 23 May 2025
Abstract
Superhydrophobic surfaces have garnered significant attention due to their pivotal roles in various fields. Femtosecond laser technology provides a feasible means for inducing superhydrophobic microstructures on material surfaces. However, due to the unclear influence mechanisms of process parameters, as well as the high [...] Read more.
Superhydrophobic surfaces have garnered significant attention due to their pivotal roles in various fields. Femtosecond laser technology provides a feasible means for inducing superhydrophobic microstructures on material surfaces. However, due to the unclear influence mechanisms of process parameters, as well as the high cost and time-consuming nature of experiments, identifying the optimal femtosecond laser processing parameters within the process space remains a significant challenge. To address this issue, a process optimization framework that couples machine learning and genetic algorithms was proposed and successfully applied to the optimization of femtosecond laser-induced groove structures on TC4 alloy surfaces. Firstly, based on 64 sets of experimental data, the effects of the power, scanning speed, and scanning interval on the micro-groove structures and their wetting properties were discussed in detail. Furthermore, by utilizing this small sample dataset, various machine learning algorithms were employed to establish a prediction model for the contact angle, among which support vector regression demonstrated the optimal predictive accuracy. Three additional dimensional variables, i.e., the number of effective pulses, energy deposition rate, and roughness, were also added to the original dataset vectors as extra dimensions to participate in and guide the model training process. The prediction model was further coupled into a genetic algorithm to achieve the quantitative design of femtosecond laser processing. Compared to the best hydrophobicity in the original dataset, the contact angle of the designed process was improved by 5.5%. The proposed method provides an ideal solution for accurately predicting wetting properties and identifying optimal processes, thereby accelerating the development and application of femtosecond laser-induced superhydrophobic microstructures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ultrafast Optics: From Fundamental Science to Applications)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop