This document has been archived and replaced by NSF 16-004
(http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf16004).

Title: Dear Colleague Letter - Optics and Photonics (nsf14091)   
Date:  7/16/2014  

   NSF 14-091

Dear Colleague Letter - Optics and Photonics

   Date: July 16, 2014

   Dear Colleagues:

   Optics and photonics are key enabling technologies that impact society
   in a multitude of areas including information and communications,
   imaging and sensing, healthcare, energy, manufacturing, and national
   security. With current economic trends of innovation becoming
   increasingly international, it is a critical time for the National
   Science Foundation (NSF) to ensure support of fundamental research and
   disruptive optical technologies that will strongly benefit the
   nation's scientific and economic health as well as its future
   workforce. In August 2012, the National Research Council published its
   report of the U.S. National Academies study, "[1]Optics and Photonics:
   Essential Technologies for Our Nation." In April 2014, a Fast Track
   Action Committee on Optics and Photonics, sanctioned by the Committee
   on Science of the National Science and Technology Council, published
   its [2]report. Both reports clearly document the critical importance
   of fundamental research on optics and photonics, its strong societal
   impacts as enabling technologies, and the urgency of enhanced Federal
   support in this field.

   NSF has identified optics and photonics research and education as a
   key area of interest, which is currently supported mainly through core
   programs residing in all Directorates. Because the field is inherently
   interdisciplinary in nature, often requiring expertise across
   traditional disciplinary boundaries, NSF, with its comprehensive
   coverage of various disciplines, will enable the research community to
   achieve breakthrough scientific and technological progress.

   Through this Dear Colleague Letter, NSF encourages innovative research
   proposals on optics and photonics that are relevant to one or more
   Divisions in the Directorates for Engineering (ENG), Mathematical and
   Physical Sciences (MPS), or Computer and Information Science and
   Engineering (CISE). Topics of particular interest for Fiscal Year 2015
   are (a) the light-matter interaction at the nanoscale that encompass
   materials, devices, and systems, such as but not limited to low-loss
   metamaterials, plasmonics, and quantum phenomena that could impact
   computation, communication, and sub-wavelength resolution
   detection/imaging; and (b) novel terabit/second and above
   communication systems, especially those integrating devices and
   systems that advance the state of the art in networking,
   high-performance computing, and computer architecture.

   Proposals on optics and photonics that would particularly benefit from
   joint review can be submitted to a primary Program, while secondary
   Program(s) in another Division(s) can be identified in the Proposal
   Cover Sheet. Proposals that are candidates for co-review must bear a
   title that starts with the acronym "OP:" (for Optics & Photonics) and
   be submitted within the regular proposal submission window of the
   primary Program in Fiscal Year 2015. The proposals may span a
   combination of experiment, theory, and simulation, if appropriate. NSF
   recommends that researchers first contact their Program Officer for
   details on appropriate programs and the specifics for proposal
   submission in their respective Divisions.

   The main points of contact, representing the participating
   Directorates and Divisions of this Dear Colleague Letter, are:

   Engineering (ENG)

     Dominique Dagenais, ENG/ECCS, [3]ddagenai@nsf.gov
     Lawrence Goldberg, ENG/ECCS, [4]lgoldber@nsf.gov

   Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS)

     Ann Orel, MPS/PHY, [5]aorel@nsf.gov
     Victor Roytburd, MPS/DMS, [6]vroytbur@nsf.gov
     Charles Ying, MPS/DMR, [7]cying@nsf.gov

   Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE)

     Bryan Lyles, CISE/CNS, [8]jlyles@nsf.gov


   Fleming Crim
   Assistant Director
   Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences

   Pramod Khargonekar
   Assistant Director
   Directorate for Engineering

   Farnam Jahanian
   Assistant Director
   Directorate for Computer & Information Science & Engineering

References

   1. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13491
   2. http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/
   ostp/NSTC/ftac-op_pssc_20140417.pdf
   3. mailto:ddagenai@nsf.gov
   4. mailto:lgoldber@nsf.gov
   5. mailto:aorel@nsf.gov
   6. mailto:vroytbur@nsf.gov
   7. mailto:cying@nsf.gov
   8. mailto:jlyles@nsf.gov