physics

Optica (society)

Optica (society) is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Optica (society) rather than just read about it. In short: Optica, founded as the Optical Society of America (later the Optical Society), is a professional society of individuals and companies with an interest in optics and photonics. It publishes journals, organizes conferences and exhibitions, and carries out charitable activities.

Key takeaways

Optica (society) belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Optica (society) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Optica (society) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Optica, founded as the Optical Society of America (later the Optical Society), is a professional society of individuals and companies with an interest in optics and photonics. It publishes journals, organizes conferences and exhibitions, and carries out charitable activities.

History Optica was founded in 1916 as the Optical Society of America, under the leadership of Perley G. Nutting, with 30 optical scientists and instrument makers based in Rochester, New York. It soon published its first journal of research results and established an annual meeting. The group's Journal of the Optical Society of America was created in 1918. The first series of joint meetings with the American Physical Society took place in 1918. In 2008, it changed its name to the Optical Society. In September 2021, under the leadership of Elizabeth Rogan, the organization's name changed to Optica, in reference to the organization's journal by the same name and geographic neutrality to reflect the society's global membership. In 2024, following an employee whistleblower complaint, Bloomberg News reported that the Optica Foundation Challenge was funded entirely by Huawei. In response, the United States House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology launched a probe. Despite a statement from 2024 Optica President Gerd Leuchs stating an independent investigation into the whistleblower complaint revealed "no violation of law was identified" and no further Congressional action, Optica announced that it would no longer accept money from Huawei, removed the company's representation on a panel of judges, returned donations made by Huawei from 2022 onward, and removed Elizabeth A. Rogan as CEO.

Scientific publishing

Optica Publishing Group Optica Publishing Group is Optica's scientific publishing platform, which publishes peer-reviewed optics and photonics research. Optica Publishing Group's portfolio consists of 20 publications.

Primary journals Advances in Optics and Photonics, ISSN 1943-8206; 2009–present — Publishing long review articles and tutorials. Applied Optics, ISSN 1559-128X (print); ISSN 2155-3165 (online); 1962–present — Covering optical applications-centered research. Biomedical Optics Express, ISSN 2156-7085; 2010–present — An open access journal covering optics, photonics and imaging in the life sciences. Journal of the Optical Society of America, 1917–1983, which was split into two journals in 1984: Journal of the Optical Society of America A, ISSN 1084-7529 (print); ISSN 1520-8532 (online); 1984–present — Covering research on optics, image science, and vision. Journal of the Optical Society of America B, ISSN 0740-3224 (print); ISSN 1520-8540 (online); 1984–present — Covering research on optical physics Optica, ISSN 2334-2536; 2014–present — Rapid dissemination of high-impact results in all areas of optics and photonics. Optica Quantum, ISSN 2837-6714; 2023–present — An open access journal of high-impact results in quantum information science and technology enabled by optics. Optical Materials Express, ISSN 2159-3930; 2011–present — An open access journal covering advances in novel optical materials, their properties, modeling, synthesis and fabrication techniques. Optics Express, ISSN 1094-4087; 1997–present — An open access journal covering all areas of optics. Optics Letters, ISSN 0146-9592 (print); ISSN 1539-4794 (online); 1977–present — Providing rapid publication of short papers in all fields of optical science and technology. Optics Continuum, ISSN 2770-0208; 2022–present — An open access journal that publishes research articles meeting the standards for technical accuracy, scientific rigor, and presentation quality without judgment of impact or significance.

Partnered journals Applied Spectroscopy, 1951–present. Published by the Society for Applied Spectroscopy. Chinese Optics Letters, 2003–present. Published by Chinese Laser Press. Current Optics and Photonics, 2017–present. Published by Optical Society of Korea. Journal of Optical Communications and Networking, 2009–present. Jointly published by Optica and IEEE. Published from 2002 to 2009 as Journal of Optical Networking. Journal of Lightwave Technology, 1998–present. Jointly published by Optica and IEEE. Journal of Near Infrared Spectroscopy, 1993–present. Published by SAGE Publishing. Journal of Optical Technology, 1999–present. English translation of Opticheskii Zhurnal published by the S. I. Vavilov State Optical Institute. Photonics Research, 2013–present. Jointly published by Optica and Chinese Laser Press.

Magazine Optics and Photonics News, ISSN 1047-6938; 1975–present. Publishes monthly news for recent developments in optics on topics related to science and society, education, technology, and business.

Legacy journals Journal of Display Technology, 2005–2016. Jointly published by OSA and IEEE. Available online. Journal of Optical Networking, 2002–2009. Published by OSA. Available online. Journal of Optical Society of Korea, 2007–2016. Published by the Optical Society of Korea. Available online. OSA Continuum, 2018–2021. Published by Optica. Available online. Optics News, 1975–1989. Published by Optica. Available online.

Recognitions Optica presents awards and honors, including Optica Fellow, Honorary Membership, and Awards/Medals. Optica's awards and medals program is endowed through the Optica Foundation, and includes more than 20 named awards; among them are the following:

Presidents The following persons are or have been presidents of the society:

Notable people Hilda Conrady Kingslake, optics researcher, author of the "History of the Optical Society of America, 1916-1966" and "The First 50 Years — the Institute of Optics 1929-1979." Delwin Lindsey, editor of the society journal

See also American Institute of Physics American Physical Society European Optical Society European Photonics Industry Consortium International Commission for Optics Optical Society of London Optics Classification and Indexing Scheme Society for Imaging Science and Technology SPIE

References

External links

Official website "The Optical Society". Internal Revenue Service filings. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Optica (society)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Optica (society) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Optica (society) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Optica (society) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Optica (society)

In research: Optica (society) appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Optica (society) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Optica (society) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1916 establishments in New York (state), Optica (society), Optics institutions, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Optica (society) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Optica (society) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Optica (society) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Optica (society) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Optica (society) in simple terms?

Why does Optica (society) matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Optica (society)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Optica (society).