In July 1994, the National Research Council (NRC) issued a report titled Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Science: An Investment in the Future (National Academy Press, Washington, D.C.). The report found that optical science had become an integral part of a wide range of scientific disciplines and was a key contributor to economically important applications in many areas. Some aspects of optical science, however, and all of optical engineering, were beyond the scope of the 1994 report, which therefore recommended undertaking a more comprehensive assessment of the broad field of optical science and engineering.

A program initiation and planning meeting was organized by the Board on Physics and Astronomy in cooperation with the National Materials Advisory Board. This effort resulted in the formation of the Committee on Optical Science and Engineering in early 1995, under the auspices of the two boards and with funding from three federal agencies: the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

The charge to the committee was as follows:

• Survey the field of optical science and engineering (OS&E). Define the technical scope and institutional structure of the OS&E community.

• Examine progress over the last decade and project the future impact of OS&E on societal needs in the short (3-5 years) and long terms (5-20 years). Focus on leading-edge developments. Develop a vision for the future and identify some ''grand challenges" that could give the field direction and could focus efforts in areas that have potential for benefit to society.

• Identify technical opportunities and prioritize them in the context of national needs.

• Identify institutional and educational innovations that are needed to develop and organize the field in a more coherent fashion and to optimize the contributions of OS&E to addressing critical national needs.

• Determine how public policy influences the ability of OS&E to address national needs.

• Examine trends in private and public research activities and compare them with those in other countries.

The committee met for the first time in March 1995. It held six workshops over the course of the following year to gather technical input from the optical science and engineering community. There were also presentations and public forums at several professional society meetings, to inform the community about the study, to solicit further input, and to begin building a foundation of community support for the study process. Based on these inputs, additional inquiries by members of the committee, and extensive discussion and debate within the committee, this report was prepared to present the study's findings, conclusions, and recommendations.

The committee thanks the many members of the OS&E community who provided their assistance to the study by participating in the workshops and through other means (see Appendix B). Without such a broad range of input, no single group could have hoped to examine a field as broad and diverse as this one. Thanks are also due to Doug Vaughan of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory for his assistance in writing the Overview.

A final note on terminology: Many terms are used to describe this field and its various overlapping subfields. This report often simply uses the word optics, in its broadest sense, to include the whole spectrum of activity in the field, across all subfields, and from basic research to engineering.

This report has been reviewed by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council's (NRC's) Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the authors and the NRC in making their published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The contents of the review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their participation in the review of this report:

Arthur Ashkin, AT&T Bell Laboratories (retired)

David H. Auston, Rice University

Arthur N. Chester, Hughes Research Laboratories

Anthony J. DeMaria, DeMaria ElectroOptics Systems

Paul A. Fleury, University of New Mexico

John L. Hall, JILA/University of Colorado

Wendell T. Hill, University of Maryland, College Park

William Howard, Scottsdale, Arizona

Daniel Kleppner, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Paul W. Kruse, Infrared Solutions

Robert Laudise, Lucent Technologies

Jacques I. Pankove, University of Colorado at Boulder

Don W. Shaw, Texas Instruments (retired)

Watt W. Webb, Cornell University and one anonymous reviewer

While the individuals listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, responsibility for the final content of this report rests solely with the authoring committee and the NRC.