Post by SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics

From productive industry-academia collabs to seeking inspiration from the beautiful world around us, we heard so much great research at the #SPIEPhotonicsEurope poster session last night. Meet four innovative researchers who presented their projects. 👋 🚙 Manele C., from Valeo (France) and CY Cergy Paris Université (LPPI), presented work on creating vivid structural colors for automotive lighting using ultra‑thin multilayer films. By generating color through light interference rather than pigments, her team demonstrates flexible, lightweight designs that stay bright in daylight and address challenges like producing stable red hues! The approach points toward more sustainable, pigment‑free options for future automotive signaling. 🔥 Emilie Lourdel, from Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives and Institut Fresnel (France), presented recent work on reducing laser‑induced damage in silica optics used in high‑power laser facilities. By studying how contaminants trigger damage at the high fluences used in the Laser Mégajoule, she tests controlled laser‑cleaning steps (kept below the damage threshold!) to safely remove particles. Using the MELBA (“Moyen d’Endommagement Laser et Banc d’Analyse”) diagnostic bench, her work can help define cleaning conditions that extend the lifetime of these critical optical components. ☀️ Dam-Bé DOUTI, from Université de Kara (Togo), presented early concepts of an open‑source software project designed to support concentrated solar power development across Africa. The platform combines a Python‑based ray‑tracing engine with access to NASA meteorological data, allowing users to model the optical and thermal behavior of solar concentrator systems. By making these tools freely available and customizable, his project aims to better match local needs and accelerate solar innovation on the continent. And — he’s looking for others to help work on this project! 🦋 Sébastien Mouchet, from the UMONS (Belgium), the University of Exeter (United Kingdom), and the Université de Namur (Belgium), shared a bioinspired approach to harvesting mid‑infrared radiation. Drawing on the light‑absorbing structures found in Troides butterfly wings, his team designs titanium‑based absorbers that significantly boost IR absorption efficiency in simulations. The work highlights how natural photonic architectures can guide new strategies for sustainable energy capture and thermal management.