Welcome

The FOPS 2011 meeting will take place in  Lake Junaluska, North Carolina. This spectacular location is in the Great Smokies region of North Carolina (roughly the North American equivalent of the Black Forest region of Germany). The conference site is close to the eastern  entrance of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most popular of all US national parks, and also the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians reservation. The area is popular for hiking (the Appalachian Trail passes through the park near the conference site), horseback riding, fishing, whitewater rafting, and road trips on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Following the tradition of earlier FOPS conferences, the secluded location offers great atmosphere for intense scientific discussion and exchange of resent research results, as well as ample opportunity for all levels of outdoor activities. We will leave open blocks of time for maximum outdoor time in these beautiful hills. Lake Junaluska is also a half-hour drive by easy highway access from historic Asheville, North Carolina, and the Asheville regional airport (AVL), with connections from Charlotte, North Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia. Shuttle buses will be available from the Asheville regional airport.

The conference site is the Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center, right on the shore of Lake Junaluska. A great way to see the area is to rent a car and explore, but hiking, canoeing, and golfing are available at the conference center. Conference registration will include breakfast and lunch each day. We also plan an excursion to the magnificent Biltmore Estate nearby.

The premier conference on fundamental solid state optics

The aim of this conference is to bring together the leading international groups working in semiconductor and solid state optics in a workshop format to present recent exciting results and to discuss the future directions of the field.

Fundamental optical processes in semiconductors are of central importance for both basic science and applications. The field provides the foundation for all of semiconductor optoelectronics and photonics. As such, it encompasses enabling technologies for future generation devices; advances in technology, materials growth, and measurement techniques continue to stimulate great activity in the field. In addition, many issues of considerable general interest in contemporary optical physics are addressed by this meeting. The Montana FOPS meeting succeeds the Alaska Meeting on Fundamental Optical Processes in Semiconductors (Girdwood, Alaska, August 2001), the Colorado Meeting on Fundamental Optical Processes in Semiconductors (Estes Park, Colorado, August 2004), and the Montana Meeting on Fundamental Optical Processes in Semiconductors (Big Sky, Montana, July 2007).

The format of FOPS meetings is by design unusual, but is similar to the well known Gordon conferences. Specifically, all talks are invited, and contributed papers are given in posters. The talks are limited to 25 minutes, and there will be additional time for general discussions. Meals including breakfast and lunch are communal, and FOPS meetings are held in locations noted for their beauty and, apart from nature, lack of distractions. This format is intended to foster debate and a broad discussion of future directions as well as current results.

Pictures of Lake Junaluska conference center: