Sunday Program

Time: 8:30am-10:00am

An Outlook on Future Optical Network Architecture and Photonic Technologies for the Internet

It has been almost fifty years since optical fibers were introduced into Internet architecture. Initially, fiber communications were utilized as a high-speed, low-loss communication technology. Later, optical amplifiers boosted the reach of optical links. More recently, optical frequency channelling, coherent communications, and packet-optical switching have given rise to modern optical networking, which is now deployed in various Internet segments.

This session intends to report on the latest advancements in knowledge surrounding optical networks and photonic technologies, developed within the national research program RESTART (RESearch and innovation on future Telecommunications systems and networks, to make Italy smarter), funded through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP). RESTART is the largest communications research program ever funded by the Italian Government.

The main research outcomes achieved in the first half of the RESTART program will be highlighted. There will be a focus on advancements in photonic integration technologies and devices, capacity scaling in optical communications, novel optical transmission techniques and systems, innovative network monitoring approaches, control techniques of optical networks, as well as optical security.

Organizer:
Piero Castoldi, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy

Time: 10:30am-12:00pm

Emerging Applications of Photonic Technologies in Critical Areas Across the Global Fiber-Optic Network

Join us for an insightful overview on cutting-edge applications of photonic technologies in critical areas. Learn about the exciting development using today’s deployed telecom fiber for environmental research as well as the potential for future optical networks to support novel applications beyond telecom. Discover how these technologies enable precise measurements and timing, enabling new scientific and engineering discoveries in a broad range of areas. Our speakers will cover areas such as climate change and natural disasters prevention. Discover how optical fibers are being employed in whale monitoring and wind measurements, providing critical data for marine and atmospheric research. Delve into the advancement of optical clocks and ultra-stable optical frequency transfer, which are pushing the boundaries of precision timekeeping and metrology, tests of fundamental physics and geodesy. This session will highlight the latest innovations, research, and practical implementations in these vital areas.

Organizers:

Mikael Mazur, Nokia Bell Labs, USA
Cristian Antonelli, University of L’Aquila, Italy

Speakers:

Miguel González- Herráez, University of Alcala, Spain
Martin Landrø, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
Franklyn Quinlan, National Institute of Standards and Technology, USA

Time 2:00pm-3:30pm

From Wireless Telegraphy to Free Space Communications: Celebrating 150 Years Since Marconi’s Birth 

This year the world celebrates the 150th anniversary of the birth of Guglielmo Marconi, the Italian inventor and electrical engineer who pioneered radio communication.

It was 1895 when Marconi managed to transmit and receive wireless signals for the first time. Only six years later, in 1901, he transmitted the first radio signal across the Atlantic Ocean. Marconi’s pioneering role in the development of wireless telegraphy led to him being jointly awarded the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics with Karl Braun.

The session aims to remember the inventor, but, above all, to celebrate over a century of scientific research that has revolutionized the realm of telecommunications.  Photonics has made an essential contribution to this field, providing advanced technologies that have transformed our ability to connect.

Organizer:
Antigone Marino, President of the IEEE Photonics Society Italy Chapter, Italy

Speakers:

Barbara Valotti, Fondazione Marconi, Italy
Stefano Selleri, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell’Informazione (DINFO), Italy

Time: 4:00pm-5:30pm

Hack your research! Tools and Tricks for Today’s Telecommunications Techies 

Come and learn the most powerful techniques expert researchers and professionals use to enhance their productivity and make their life easier. Join us and take this chance to upgrade your work methods and discuss while enjoying food and drinks in an informal, relaxed, and fun way.

Our everyday research is most fun and productive when we concentrate on creative problem solving. Good news: for almost all other tasks, there are tools available for you to make your engineering life easier. Many software packages written by the large community allow you to quickly and easily automate menial tasks, build graphical user interfaces, visualize data and much more! This event aims to bring awareness of these packages by hosting multiple interactive demos of mostly free and open-source software built in easy-to-learn languages such as Python. The demos are set up around informal discussion tables with plenty of time for inspiring discussion and questions, alternated with lighting talks and videos showing the usage of these tools.

This event is an opportunity to learn how to tap into and use the available public resources, and to learn about the newest tools developed by PhD students and researchers alike. From students to highly experienced experts, everybody is welcome to learn and share ways to boost their research. Benefit and learn from the trial-and-error of others and get a kickstart in productivity!

Organizers:
Giammarco Di Sciullo, University of L’Aquila, Italy
Besma Kalla, Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands
Vincent van Vliet, Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands
Amol Delmade, Dublin City University, Ireland
Mohamad Idjadi, Nokia Bell Labs, USA

Advisory Committee:
Nicolas Fontaine, Nokia Bell Labs, USA
Roland Ryf, Nokia Bell Labs, USA
Marco Eppenberger, PsiQuantum, USA
Menno van den Hout, Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands
Henrique Buglia, University College London, United Kingdom