Enlarging and bringing closer
To enlarge and bring objects closer are the the primary functions of instrumental optics. Man gazes at the stars, he could touch the moon .. Alongside spectacular achievements such as the 8 meter mirror for the next " very large telescope ", binoculars, periscopes, telescopes and microscopes make daily contributions to progress in other sciences and techniques.

Optics goes where no one can go
Another optics speciality is impossible missions. Optics is present in any dangerous, difficult or inacessible situation. It was a French lens which captured the first pictures of the moon. Optics monitors and controls power stations with nuclear periscopes. And again, it is optics which makes endoscopic surgery possible.

A purely French revolution: the zoom lens...
Another optics speciality is impossible missions. Optics is present in any dangerous, difficult or inacessible situation. It was a French lens which captured the first pictures of the moon. Optics monitors and controls power stations with nuclear periscopes.
And again, it is optics which makes endoscopic surgery possible.

Optics assists science

Optics also contributes to improvements in scientific instrumentation. It may be found in most instruments used for measurement, precision, detection, etc.. Light dispersers, lenses, mirrors, filters, sensors, engraving or holographic systems are used in conjunction with other technologies (mechanics, robotics, computers, electronics). Their applications may be found in a large variety of fields.

Photonics can meet any challenge


By working jointly with electronics and computer science, optics has opened up a vast range of applications. Optics touches on every aspect of our daily lives, as in high-tech industries.

A new field of vision and investigation
LMastery of the ultra-violet and the infrared has allowed man to considerably enlarge his field of vision.


Thermal cameras allow to the military to observe and detect in any conditions, by day or by night and give industry the means to regulate and control processes. Astrophysicists improve their knowledge of the universe using shortwave ultra-violet. Civil applications are being developed in security, industrial and medical thermography, pollution control, and non destructive analysis control.

The optical lancet
The cold light of optics is used to light operating theatres in hospitals. Laser instruments work wonders in microsurgery, removing calculi, melting away arterial clots, reducing cancerous tumors, sewing tissue.

Bar codes and optical pens
Le code barre et les crayons optiques Couplée à l'informatique, l'optique se fait caissier, comptable, contrôleur de gestion... Grâce aux codes barre et aux crayons optiques, elle participe à la modernisation de la distribution et à la tenue des stocks industriels.

Laser : the popstar
Laser also plays the popstar.
It has updated " son et lumière " by illuminating city skies with laser harps. Thanks to laser, Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and their successors can be faithfully recorded on compact discs.

Expertise and encyclopedic memory
Optics has a leading role in the storage and dissemination of information. It also speaks the language of computers and allows them to communicate. On a single numeric disc, it can record and read hundreds of millions of bytes. It can print and edit at lightening speed and duplicate. And this is only the beginning, pending the optic computer.

The optic robot
Lasers have had a remarkable impact in mechanics. Their power and their precision are used to cut, engrave, weld, adjust and work on a wide range of materials. Optronics help in non destructive analysis and control.

A perfect medium
High-definition television, broadcasting and transmission by satellite, optical fibres, flat screens... Today, optics is revolutionizing the world of communications and telecommunications. Optical fibres link France telephonically to other continents. Tomorrow, optical telecommunication will be the main means of information transfert : television programmes, data banks...

Images take on a new dimension
3-D television, photography and films, optical digital calculus, pattern recognition through optical correlation, non-destructive controls by holographic interferometrics. Visionics brings the image into a tri-dimensional universe.

Optics detects, mesures, controls, heals, guides, cuts, welds, prints, informs and transforms. In conjunction with new technologies, it will go on revolutionizing our way of life.