Bright, colorful reflections from mirrors and crystals lit up the Cal Poly Photon Lab this winter as two physics students constructed Cal Poly’s first laser beam. Senior Hannah Bauer and freshman James Mauck, under the leadership of assistant professor Isinsu Toker of the Physics Department, created the laser beam together. Toker founded and oversees the lab it was built in.
The laser beam is made out of titanium-sapphire, according to a Cal Poly press release. It has been configured to emit continuous light waves and femtosecond pulses that last one quadrillionth of a second. Although these types of lasers are sold commercially, Toker said that building optic technology is a big opportunity for undergraduates and opens Cal Poly research to more external grants.
“We are not bringing something extremely new, but we are bringing a new skill to Cal Poly,” she said. “Maybe one day we can also build a completely new laser system for the literature, so this is just the beginning.”
After ordering all the components, along with a pump laser donation from physics professor John Sharpe, construction started at the beginning of winter quarter. Bauer shared that the project took several months of lab work across winter and spring quarters because aligning the mirrors and crystals is a very precise process.
“If we weren’t getting what we thought we were getting, then we had to deconstruct and reconstruct the whole laser,” Bauer said.
Mauck expressed how proud he and Bauer were when the laser was finally operational. After the setup was complete, the next step was generating femtosecond pulses, which are continuous blinks invisible to the human eye.
“I remember that was another moment where we were just thrilled with the work we’d done,” he said.
The work was both for Bauer’s senior project and an opportunity for Mauck to co-contribute under the mentorship of Toker. For both students, building the laser was a meaningful accomplishment that has given them knowledge to carry forward in further research projects. Bauer is headed to graduate school for optical engineering after taking an interest in optics through this project.
“It was so invaluable to learn about lasers because it is something that I am really interested in,” Bauer said.
As for Mauck, he hopes to continue working on laser technology throughout his time at Cal Poly.
“Getting involved in research like this is not easy to do and I’m very lucky,” Mauck said about being a freshman. “It has really propelled me forward and given me a lot more opportunities for the future.”
The lab will submit their work to Optica, the leading organization in optics and photonics, Toker said. Its student researchers hope to present their work at their research symposium in the fall. The laser work will also be presented in August at SPIE Optics + Photonics 2026, an international peer-reviewed conference, she said.
The Cal Poly Photon Lab on campus is open to collaboration across departments since lasers are interdisciplinary tools that can be used in a variety of fields, Toker said.
“It has unique properties that make it excellent at spectroscopy,” Mauck said. “Which is very exciting from a cross-disciplinary standpoint.”
Even though Bauer is graduating, she is excited that Cal Poly is growing its optics department and her work with the Cal Poly Photon Lab has been a part of that.
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