As part of the Fête de la Science, the 2025 edition of the Open Days was held from October 9th to 11th at the Institut d'Optique d'Aquitaine (IOA). This year, ALPhANOV went further by partnering with the Institut d'Optique Graduate School (IOGS) to create a joint event: the Inside IOA Open Days, the first edition of a gathering that highlights careers, research, and traning in photonics. 

As part of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Photonics TALENT, this edition once again allowed 340 participants (including teachers, parents and students) to dive into the fascinating world of optics and photonics. 

The visit circuit

Students began the visit with an introduction to the basic concepts of photonics, learning what a laser and an optical fiber are before starting the hands-on workshops.
In addition to the traditional tours of ALPhANOV laboratories, participants were able to visit the Laboratoire Photonique, Numérique et Nanosciences (LP2N) and attend demonstration workshops showcasing the careers practiced within the Institut d'Optique d'Aquitaine building. 

The circuit consisted of six workshops:
 

Workshop #1: Laser Machining with Robotic Precision Leveraging a 6-axis robot, a fiber laser enables the 3D cutting of metal components with remarkable reproducibility. After an introduction of the machining station and its capabilities, visitors observed laser cutting.
Workshop #2: CALICE Supported by the région Nouvelle-Aquitaine, the CALICE project aims to develop an all-in-one photonic sensor for vineyards, allowing a comprehensive assessment of the technological and phenolic potential of grapes directly in the field. Visitors were able to see a demonstration of the sensor using fluorescence.
Workshop #3: Exploring Optical Fiber Properties Using the engaging example of laser transport through a stream of water, the presenter elucidated the properties of optical fiber for light transmission. The latest-generation complex fibers exhibit even more remarkable attributes, essential for laser design.
Workshop #4: Optical Systems to improve Component Safety Integrated circuits are everywhere in our daily lives. To make them safer and more reliable, laser technology can be used as a control tool. This workshop provided an opportunity to observe an electronic component in infrared light, and to discover the effects of lasers during operation.
Workshop #5: Laser Cooling  Using a cloud of atoms, along with a set of lasers and magnetic fields, the atomic cloud is cooled while suspended in a vacuum chamber. After a presentation of the experiment, visitors were able to observe the cloud with the naked eye and understand how its temperature, close to absolute zero, is measured using a camera.
Workshop #6: Quantum Sensors Over 100 years ago, Einstein imagined a thought experiment inside an elevator, a reflection that led him to develop his General Theory of Relativity. At the LP2N laboratory, facilitators set up this inertial "elevator" and offered a tour of the platform, which allows for the calibration of future cold-atom accelerometers for space applications, providing one hour of microgravity per day.

The hands-on booths

This event benefited from the participation of local training programs. Students were able to visit the hands-on booths, where each program showcased a portion of the work complete during their training. 

Represented programs included: 
 

• Bac Pro Optics Photonics, Lycée Kastler
• BTS Photonic, Lycée Kastler
• LCM Professional License, University of Bordeaux
• Master of Fundamental Physics - Instrumentation, Photonics and Commercialization Program (formerly CUCIPhy), University of Bordeaux
• Engineering cycle, IOGS

They also had the opportunity to try the virtual reality, led by PYLA training center, and to carry out hands-on activities in a virtual laboratory. 

A day dedicated to the general public

As in every edition, an additional day was dedicated to the general public, who were able, in addition to visiting the workshops, to attend a lecture given by Philippe Lalanne, physicist and CNRS research director at LP2N, and a specialist in the electrodynamics of nanostructures.

Young’s double-slit experiment is often regarded as one of the most beautiful experiments in science—probably because of its remarkable simplicity. It is precisely this simplicity that, two centuries later, continues to allow it to profoundly influence science, and nanoscience in particular.

This first edition of the Inside IOA Open Days, coordinated with IOGS, was met with great enthusiasm. 
It allowed students to explore the programs, careers, and practical applications of photonics, a cutting-edge technology at the heart of the innovation in Nouvelle-Aquitaine.