Lawrence Livermore researchers named senior members by the Optical Society of America

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers Tiziana Bond and Jean Michel Di Nicola were recently named senior members of the Optical Society (OSA), an international society for optics and photonics scientists, engineers, educators and business leaders. Senior membership status recognizes members with more than 10 years of significant experience and professional accomplishments or service in their fields.

Tiziana Bond
Bond, currently working within the NIF and Photon Science Laser Modeling and Analysis Group, is a senior engineer and capability leader in the Engineering Directorate. Bond is working on laser modeling, image postprocessing and operation support for NIF. Her current R&D focuses on enabling nanotechnology for small form-factor chem-bio sensors and enhanced energy harvesting/generation exploiting new areas of plasmonics, metamaterials and surface-enhanced Raman/IR.

Bond also has lead the development of integrated photonic platforms for all optical encryption circuits, miniature laser-based tunable integrated gas sensors and radiation diagnostic systems in support of various programs and missions at LLNL.  

She has more than 50 papers published in international journals and conference proceedings and holds eight patents which cover design, modeling fabrication and optical characterization of photonics components. She also is a reviewer for various journals, such as Nature, Applied Materials, Nanotechnology, Applied Physics Letters and Optics Express and is an editor for the Journal of Sensors and Journal of Nanomaterials.

She received a laurea degree (cum laude) and Ph.D., both in electrical engineering, from the Polytechnic University of Bari, Italy. Prior to joining LLNL, she held two postdoctoral positions at the University of Florida and the Georgia Institute of Technology.

"I am very honored by this recognition," Bond said. "I hope to serve the Optical Society and the optical community at large even further and more significantly by supporting the development of novel optical technologies for emerging global needs."

Jean Michel Di Nicola
Di Nicola is a research scientist and acting group leader of the NIF and Photon Science Laser Modeling and Analysis group. Di Nicola is working with NIF, the Advanced Radiographic Capability and the High Repetition Rate Advanced Petawatt Laser System laser facilities modeling, as well as on laser codes development.

"As a laser physicist, coming to Livermore was an obvious choice," Di Nicola said. "My goal is to engage grand challenges of science and technology with very talented colleagues who share the same vision and the same passion for the mission. My favorite speech is ‘We choose to go to the Moon’ by President John F. Kennedy – it speaks so well about what we are doing at LLNL."

Di Nicola received two M.S. degrees – in optoelectronics from Caen University (France) in 1995 and in nonlinear optics and plasma physics from the University of Paris XI and Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau (France) in 1996. The same year, he joined the French Atomic Energy Commission, Direction of Military Applications (CEA/DAM), to work on the high energy laser program dedicated to inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and stockpile stewardship.

His research expertise is in laser physics, nonlinear optics, laser modeling of high energy and high peak power lasers. He has served as the principal investigator in charge of the of the performance modeling and commissioning of the Laser Integration Line laser, a prototype of the French Laser Mega Joule (LMJ), during a two-year experimental program leading to ground-breaking results and world record performance of 10kJ of UV energy on a single beamline. In 2005, he spent six months as an invited scientist to participate in NIF modeling tasks and laser codes development. In 2007 he was selected as a senior expert in nonlinear optics and laser performance modeling of ICF lasers by CEA/DAM, returned to LLNL to take part in the NIF laser commissioning and finally joined LLNL in 2009.

Di Nicola has received two R&D 100 Magazine Awards as well as an LLNL Director’s Science and Technology Award for his contributions to the NIF 1.8 megajoule/500 terawatt milestone. He shares his passion for science by volunteering with middle-school and high-school math and science programs in France and the United States.