Learn how to harness light and its energy to create high-tech solutions, from laser-driven fusion for unlimited energy to faster computing. You will learn from world-leading professors in this area, and you will have access to cutting-edge tools at one of the nation’s most powerful laser facilities.
This concentration offers you a foundation in electrical engineering with specialized training in lasers and photonics. You will learn how lasers enable technologies of the future, from advanced medical devices to fiber optics for global communications.
The future is bright for laser science – a thriving industry in our state. Many Colorado photonics technologies companies offer internships that lead to employment opportunities. This area is also a hotbed for innovative research careers.
The universe runs on fusion, which is the release of energy when two light atoms collide and fuse into a heavier one. Harnessed on earth, fusion could generate unlimited energy to power cities and industries. CSU boasts one of the few ultrashort pulse lasers in the world capable of reproducing the process of fusion.
Lasers are also central to the development of innovative technologies for basic research, advanced manufacturing, defense, medicine, and more. Advanced lasers are also key to the fabrication of powerful computer chips.
ECE leads the RISE inertial fusion energy (IFE) hub headquartered at CSU – one of only three IFE hubs in the nation – meaning you will learn from professors driving the future of lasers and optics.
ATLAS is positioned to dramatically expand the existing educational system to broaden a pipeline of exceptional graduates to meet the rapidly growing workforce demand. We are preparing students to be technology leaders at the fusion of computer science, machine learning, and engineering.
Colorado State University is part of LaserNetUS, a network of facilities operating high-power lasers. This scientific ecosystem was established by the U.S. Department of Energy to advance Intense Ultrafast Laser Science and applications.
