Laser spectroscopy in development

Abstract

Laser spectroscopy has developed into a very rich field of scientific and technological endeavour with applications ranging from analytical spectroscopy to Bose-Einstein condensation in dilute alkali gases. It has provided completely new possibilities in fields as diverse as the study of combustion processes, atmospheric monitoring,water and vegetation surveillance, cultural heritage preservation and medical diagnostics. With the fast development of laser sources and auxiliary equipment, including computers, the applications oflaser spectroscopy can become more widespread. Optics, spectroscopy and laser applications are suitable hightech fields for the promotion of physical research in developing countries, because it is reasonably basic, it connects to real-world applications and it can be affordable. This has been observed by organisations such as the Optical Society ofAmerica (OSA), the International Commission on Optics (ICO), and the European Physical Society (EPS). The activities in the field co-ordinated by Gallieno Denardo at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste have been particularly notable. It helped establish the African LAM network (www.lamnetwork.org), presently co-ordinated by Ahmadou Wague, Dakar.