Lighting the Future: Celebrating the International Day of Photonics 2025
October 21 marks the International Day of Photonics - a day that commemorates the 1983 Conference on Weights and Measures, when the value of the speed of light was officially established. More than four decades later, the field that studies and harnesses light - photonics - continues to shape the world in profound and often invisible ways.
From the internet connections we rely on daily to the imaging tools guiding modern medicine, photonics has become a silent engine of progress. Yet, as Dr. Stratos Kehayas, President of G&H’s Photonics Division, reminded us in last year’s conversation, it remains “a vibrant, forward-thinking field that still hides in plain sight.”
From Niche to Necessity
What was once regarded as an exotic discipline has become indispensable to both everyday life and scientific frontiers. Photonics powers the lasers that manufacture semiconductor chips, the fiber-optic cables that form the internet’s backbone, and the precision optics enabling quantum computing and artificial intelligence.
In recent years, the industry has accelerated even further - driven by urgent global challenges: climate change, data-driven healthcare, energy security, and space exploration. Across each of these frontiers, photonics offers not just incremental improvements but transformational efficiencies - reducing power consumption, minimizing waste, and enabling insights at scales once thought impossible.
Bridging the Visible and the Invisible
At G&H, the pursuit of innovation continues across every wavelength, from the ultraviolet to the infrared. Whether developing superpolished optics for quantum experiments, SWIR lens systems for next-generation imaging, or precision fiber assemblies for space and defense, G&H’s engineers and scientists are turning light into a language of discovery.
The company’s philosophy mirrors what Dr. Kehayas described as “the duality of photonics - both disruptive and enabling.” By combining legacy craftsmanship with modern engineering, G&H continues to unlock new capabilities across industrial, life science, and defense applications.
A Global Effort, A Shared Vision
The power of photonics lies not only in its technology but also in its community. Researchers, manufacturers, and integrators worldwide are now uniting to raise awareness of the field’s role in sustainability and human advancement. From Europe’s laser fusion initiatives to North America’s quantum infrastructure investments, the photonics ecosystem is maturing into one of the most collaborative and consequential scientific networks of our time.
As the world faces unprecedented demands on energy, computation, and communication, photonics stands at the intersection of possibility - transforming light into solutions that power our connected, intelligent, and sustainable future.
Looking Ahead
As we celebrate the International Day of Photonics 2025, we’re reminded that the journey of light is still unfolding. From lasers and lenses to quantum networks and medical breakthroughs, photonics is the thread that ties together the science of today with the imagination of tomorrow.
Or, as Dr. Kehayas put it best: “We just need to be more extrovert and not shy away from talking about what we do in our daily lives - we work in photonics.”
Enabling solutions for core applications
We focus our photonics expertise in designing, engineering and manufacturing to provide our OEM customers with the solutions they need. Whatever the application or environment, we can work with you to enable greater system efficiency and effectiveness.
