Program:

The event will be held at the Jorge Caron Amphitheater at USP São Carlos (Google Maps - How to get there (Youtube)). 

Day 1 - September 8th

• 07:30 - Registration: Reception and distribution of badge if necessary

• 08:00 - Opening: Opening ceremony of the event with presentation of the schedule and planned activities to congress participants; brief presentation of IFSC-USP.

• 08:30 - 12:10: Invited Talks

• • • 08:30 - 34 Years of Biophotonics at IPEN: From Laser Applications in Dentistry to Tumor Diagnosis Using Hyperspectral Micro-FTIR Imaging

Speaker: Profa. Dra. Denise Maria Zezell (IPEN-USP)

A comprehensive overview of the development of biophotonics as applied to medicine and dentistry in Brazil will be presented, highlighting more than three decades of research at IPEN-CNEN/SP in collaboration with universities and international centers. The presentation covers the fundamentals of laser-tissue interaction, including optical and thermal phenomena, and demonstrates how these principles have been applied in the development of innovative therapies and diagnostic methods. Among the main topics discussed are the use of lasers in caries prevention, root canal decontamination, treatment of dentin hypersensitivity, removal of ceramic veneers, and applications in burn treatment. The lecture also highlights the use of advanced spectroscopy techniques, particularly FTIR and OCT, for the biochemical and structural characterization of biological tissues. Another central focus is the integration of hyperspectral spectroscopy and artificial intelligence for disease diagnosis. Promising results will be presented using machine learning and deep learning to differentiate between healthy and tumorous tissues in skin, breast, thyroid, and oral cavity cancers, achieving high rates of diagnostic accuracy. The presentation highlights the interdisciplinary nature of biophotonics, bringing together physics, engineering, computer science, biology, and health sciences to drive advances in diagnostic medicine, optical therapies, and personalized medicine.

• • • 09:30 - Industry Talk: PHELCOM

• • • 09:40 - Coffee Break: Break and interaction time between speakers and congress participants.

• • • 10:10 - Advances in Derivative Optical Imaging and Materials Characterization

Speaker: Prof. Dr. Emerson Cristiano Barbano (UFPR)

Optical imaging and characterization of materials play a central role in the investigation of structural and optical properties relevant to materials science, security systems, forensic science, medicine, and photonics. In this seminar, I will present an integrated overview of the experimental optics research I have been conducting at the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), organized into two complementary areas: imaging and characterization of materials. In the first part, I will discuss the derivative optical imaging techniques DOIT (Derivative Optical Imaging Technique) and 2DOIT (Double Derivative Optical Imaging Technique), which use single-element photodetectors to generate contrast-enhanced images based on the time derivative of the optical signal, which encodes the spatial information of the sample. I will present experimental results, as well as prospects for applying these techniques in new spectral ranges, such as terahertz, extreme ultraviolet, and X-rays, and with different linear and nonlinear optical processes. In the second part, I will address the optical characterization of materials, with an emphasis on sodium borate glasses doped with silver and copper oxide nanoparticles, as well as interdisciplinary investigations in forensic science involving commercial and indigenous pigments. The presentation highlights the potential of optics as a strategic tool and underscores the interdisciplinary nature of the studies conducted.

• • • 11:10 - From the red to the near-infrared: phthalocyanines as powerful optical molecular and nanomaterials

Speaker: Profa. Dra. Fabienne Dumoulin (Acıbadem Mehmet Ali Aydınlar University)

• 12:10-14:00 - Lunch

• 13:30-14:00 - Registration: Reception and distribution of the badge, if necessary

• 14:00 - 17:30: Invited Talks

• • • 14:00 - Dark and Bright States of Light and the Hidden Energy in Thermal Fields

Speaker: Prof. Dr. Celso Jorge Villas Boas (UFSCar)

The bright and dark states—collective mode states that either couple or do not couple to matter—offer new insights into the fundamental aspects of interference with coherent light, providing an alternative explanation for the apparent absence of photons in the dark regions of double- (or multiple-) slit experiments. This reinterpretation opens avenues for further exploration of interference effects and the nature of the light field. A natural question then arises: Could incoherent light, as that from thermal fields, also exhibit a decomposition into bright and dark states? The answer is yes, but even more striking is the dominance of dark states: for M modes in thermal light states, the fraction of energy confined to dark states is (M–1)/M, implying that a vast majority of the energy remains inaccessible to direct detection.

• • • 15:00 - Poster Session A + Coffee Break

• • • 16:30 - Round Table

• 18:00 - Integration

Day 2 - September 9th

• 08:00 - Registration

Reception and distribution of the badge, if necessary

• 08:30 - 12:10: Invited Talks

• • • 08:30 - Compact High Resolution Hyperspectral Imaging

Speaker: Prof. Dr. John M. Girkin (Durham, UK)

With the development of high performance cameras and software hyperspectral imaging has become an area of rapid development. However, previously compromises have had to be made in speed of imaging, spectral and spatial resolution and the size of the instrument. We have developed a compact, lightweight hyperspectral camera with nanometer, or better, spectral resolution from 400 to 1700nm based upon diamond machined optics. The system, which operates in a reflection mode, uses a “push-broom” optical configuration and two miniature cameras. In one configuration flown on a drone for monitoring soil moisture, a cosine optical collector was incorporated to calibrate for varying sunlight. The optical design and methods or fabrication will be presented along with results from the application of the instrument for remote sensing on a drone, dehydration of biological tissue and clinical imaging.

• • • 09:30 - Industry Talk: Upcoming Informations

• • • 09:40 - Coffee Break: Break and interaction time between speakers and congress participants.

• • • 10:10 - Super-resolution THz Imaging with Rydberg atoms and Optical Trapping with Tapered Optical Fibers

Speaker: Prof. Dr. John M. Girkin (Durham, UK)

Imaging with THz radiation is of increasing interest as a method of imaging through materials that are opaque to visible light, providing higher resolution images than with radio or microwaves and without the ionising radiation risks associated with associated with X-rays. In this presentation the use of a gas of Rydberg atoms, prepared using spectrally narrow lasers via multiphoton excitation, will be discussed and then experiments presented in which structured illumination, originally developed in optical microscopy, have led to a twofold improvement in spatial resolution with imaging possible at over 100 frames per second. In the second half of the talk the use of tapered optical fibres for optical trapping will be shown. A laser tapering approach will be demonstrated along with the use of a confocal microscope to determined the beam profile emerging from the fibres. Results showing optically trapping with the tapered fibres will be presented along with a discussion on the future use for trapping cells in vivo.

• • • 11:10 -  Ultrafast Laser Processing at the Frontier of Photonic, Quantum, and Biofunctional Materials

Speaker: Prof. Dr. Cleber R. Mendonça (IFSC-USP)

Ultrafast laser processing has emerged as a powerful platform in materials science and photonics, enabling high-resolution, three-dimensional control over material properties with unprecedented precision. This capability has opened new pathways for the development of advanced photonic systems, with applications ranging from high-speed optical communications to biophotonics and quantum technologies. In this talk, recent advances from our group will be presented, where ultrafast lasers play a central role in both the fabrication and investigation of novel photonic materials and structures. Our work encompasses 3D micro- and nanofabrication, the development of integrated photonic devices, such as nonlinear waveguides and on-chip micro-lasers, and the creation of innovative platforms for biophotonic and quantum applications. Particular emphasis will be placed on emerging frontiers, including the microfabrication of nonlinear glasses and the integration of advanced material platforms such as two-dimensional materials (e.g., TMDs), perovskites, and MXenes. In parallel, we investigate the generation and control of laser-induced defects in solid-state systems, such as nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond and defect centers in SiC, targeting applications in quantum technologies. We also explore the underlying nonlinear optical processes in these materials under ultrafast excitation, establishing a direct link between fundamental light–matter interactions and microfabrication strategies. Additionally, we employ two-photon polymerization (2PP) to fabricate tailored three-dimensional microenvironments for studying the development and behavior of cells and bacteria, opening new possibilities in biophotonics and bioengineering. These results demonstrate how ultrafast laser processing can be used to design and implement more efficient, compact, and multifunctional photonic systems, paving the way toward next-generation optical and quantum technologies.

• 12:10-14:00 - Lunch

• 13:30-14:00 - Registration: Reception and distribution of the badge, if necessary

• 14:00 - 17:00: Invited Talks

• • • 14:00 - Rare Earths—The Oil of the 21st Century

Speaker: Prof. Dr. Sidney Riveiro (UNESP Araraquara)

• • • 15:00 - Poster Session B + Coffee Break

• • • 16:30 - Superconducting qubits in hybrid quantum systems 

Speaker:  Prof. Dr. Rodrigo Benevides (IF-USP)

Superconducting circuits and qubits are at the forefront of many recent advances in the field of quantum technologies. From quantum computing to search for dark matter, they represent a flexible tool in several applications. In this talk, I will present the principles of operation of these devices, how they can be used as tools for the control and the readout of quantum states, and how they can be connected to other quantum interfaces. I will also present developments and perspectives of our group at USP, and how we use these qubits to control acoustic and optical systems. 

• • • 17:30 - Photonics Labs Visit

• • • 18:30 - "Pizzada"

Day 3 - September 10th

• 08:00 - Registration

Reception and distribution of the badge, if necessary

• 08:30 - 12:10: Invited Talks

• • • 08:30 - Angular momentum of rotating fermionic superfluids by Sagnac phonon interferometry

Speaker: Dra. Marcia Frometa Fernandez (IFSC-USP)

Fermionic many-body systems provide an unrivaled arena to investigate how interactions drive the emergence of collective quantum behavior, such as macroscopic coherence and superfluidity. Central to these phenomena is the formation of Cooper pairs, correlated states of two fermions that behave as composite bosons and condense below a critical temperature. However, unlike elementary bosons, these pairs retain their internal structure set by underlying fermionic correlations, essential for understanding superfluid properties throughout the BEC-BCS crossover. Here, we harness a sonic analog of the optical Sagnac effect [1] to disclose the composite nature of fermionic condensates across the BEC–BCS crossover. We realize an in-situ loop interferometer by coherently exciting two counter-propagating long-wavelength phonons of an annular fermionic superfluid with tuneable interparticle interactions. The frequency degeneracy between clock- and anticlock-wise sound modes is lifted upon controllably injecting a quantized supercurrent in the superfluid ring [2], resulting in a measurable Doppler shift that enables us to probe the elementary quantum of circulation and the angular momentum carried by each particle in the fermionic fluid [3,4]. Our observations directly reveal that the superflow circulation is quantized in terms of h/2m, where m is the mass of the constituents. Further, by operating our interferometer at tunable temperature, we measure the thermal depletion of the superfluid in the unitary Fermi gas, demonstrating phonon interferometry as a powerful technique for probing fundamental properties of strongly-correlated quantum systems.

• • • 09:30 - Industry Talk: Upcoming Informations

• • • 09:40 - Coffee Break: Break and interaction time between speakers and congress participants.

• • • 10:10 - Optical Tweezers: From Imagination to Reality

Speaker: Prof. Dr. Antonio Ranha Neves (UFABC)

This presentation traces the scientific journey of optical tweezers, connecting astronomical and literary imagination to the reality of modern laboratories. The journey begins when Johannes Kepler proposed that the Sun deflected the tails of comets, a concept that inspired Jules Verne’s science fiction with its solar sails. The theoretical foundation was laid in 1873 by James Clerk Maxwell, who demonstrated that light carries linear momentum and exerts radiation pressure—a finding that was experimentally confirmed in 1901 by Nichols, Hull, and Lebedev. The definitive transition to reality occurred with the invention of the laser and Arthur Ashkin’s pioneering experiments at Bell Laboratories, which culminated in the creation of optical tweezers in 1986—a technique recognized with the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics. Today, this tool is widely used in educational and research institutions, revolutionizing biophysics and nanotechnology by enabling contactless three-dimensional manipulation and force spectroscopy on the piconewton scale, revealing the mechanics of molecular motors such as kinesin.

• • • 11:10 -  Challenges and Opportunities in the Use of Glass for Photonic Applications

Speaker: Prof. Dr. Marcelo Nalin (UNESP Araraquara)

Glasses are highly versatile materials in terms of their compositional variations. The correct choice of chemical elements can give rise to different types of light-matter interactions, thereby enabling countless photonic applications. This lecture will cover the basic principles of glass science and how these materials can be prepared for photonic applications, with an emphasis on materials for nonlinear optics and quantum technologies, as well as other emerging fields.

• 12:10-14:00 - Lunch

• 13:30-14:00 - Registration: Reception and distribution of the badge, if necessary

• 14:00 - 16:00: Invited Talks

• • • 14:00 - From the Photonics Lab to the Market: Technologies That Are Transforming Brazilian Agribusiness

Speaker: Dra. Debora Bastos Pereira (Embrapa Instrumentação Agropecuária)

Agribusiness plays a strategic role in the Brazilian economy, accounting for about 25% of GDP, 48% of exports, and approximately 28% of jobs in the country. In this context, applied physics—particularly photonics—has established itself as a fundamental tool for developing innovative solutions focused on sustainability, productivity, and quality in the sector. This lecture will present results developed at the National Agrophotonics Laboratory (LANAF), with a focus on applications of spectroscopic techniques, such as laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and fluorescence-based methods. Specific cases of technology transfer will be discussed, including the AgLIBS platform for soil analysis, licensed to Agrorobótica; the GRAS system for grain classification, developed in partnership with Brasil Agritest; and the development of LumiBot, a robot equipped with photonic tools for phenotyping and disease diagnosis, currently in the licensing process. The lecture will also address the role of integration between photonics, artificial intelligence, and open innovation as a driver for generating scalable solutions, highlighting the importance of multi-user and collaborative environments to accelerate the connection between science and the market. Finally, future prospects for the application of photonics in agribusiness will be discussed, highlighting its potential as an enabling technology for precision agriculture, for more sustainable production systems, and for the improvement of agroindustrial processes.

• • • 15:00 - Poster Session C + Coffee Break

• 16:30 - Closing Ceremony