The Laser Physics teaching laboratory was established in 1980. Nowadays, the Laser Physics teaching laboratory consists of a meeting room (~35 sq.m.) and teaching laboratory (~55 sq.m.) with 7 special optical tables on which laboratory works are arranged. Laboratory works in this facility are carried out by students from the 1st year bachelor level up to the 1st year master level of the Faculty of Physics. In this laboratory, approximately 100 students of the Faculty of Physics carry out laboratory work each year during the fall and spring semesters. In addition, for several years students of the former Vilnius Pedagogical University carried out work in this laboratory.
The Laser Physics teaching laboratory gives students the fundamentals of the structure and operating principles of diode, lamp pump solid state or gas lasers. The students acquire the experimental skills necessary to work with laser equipment and laser radiation, and strengthen their basic knowledge of linear and nonlinear optics. More than ten practical laboratory works in the fields of laser physics and nonlinear optics have been created and constantly updated.
The laboratory is equipped with solid state and gas lasers, high accuracy measuring and registration devices, high precision optics and mechanics, and nonlinear crystals. All laser equipment and high precision optomechanics were previously acquired and updated annually solely from Department of Quantum Electronics funds. Only since 2010 has laboratory equipment been acquired or updated through the project, “Creation of Infrastructure for Science and Higher Education Studies in the Breakthrough Fields of Materials, and Nano and Light Technologies (LaMeTech infrastructure)”. Now laboratory works and laboratory equipment are updated from the Faculty of Physics funds too. All laboratory equipment is used exclusively for student teaching purposes.
Prof. R.Rakauskas was first appointed to supervise the laboratory in 1980. Prof. G.Dikčius subsequently assumed this function for a long period. Later, each of the Department’s scientific groups contributed components, saw to the maintenance of the existing laboratory works to improve their reliability, and created new more modern works. The current laboratory works were created and developed by Prof. V. Sirutkaitis, Dr. R. Grigonis, Dr. A. Matijošius, Dr. R. Antipenkov, Dr. L. Giniūnas, A. Čiburys and Dr. O. Balachninaitė. Part of the laboratory equipment was donated by UAB Eksma. In 2002, the Laser Physics teaching laboratory was established as a separate branch of the Department. Dr. A. Matijošius was Head of the Laser Physics teaching laboratory during 2002–2013, and since 2013 it has been run by A. Čiburys. Both Heads were very active before, and are now, in taking care of the further development of this important educational laboratory. In 1998, the first renovation of the Laser Physics teaching laboratory after the re-establishment of the State of Lithuania functioned as an incentive to carry out other infrastructure repair and development work in the Department of Quantum Electronics and the Laser Research Center.
The Laser Physics teaching laboratory is not only a laboratory of the Laser Research Center, but also a representative laboratory of the Faculty of Physics. Every year it hosts more than 30 tours involving Lithuanian students, teachers, students and also foreign delegations.
LASER PHYSICS TEACHING LABORATORY
ROOM 522, SAULĖTEKIO AVE. 9, BLDG. III, VILNIUS
HEAD OF LABORATORY: ARŪNAS ČIBURYS