Submissions are solicited for the four core technical sessions and the Mini Symposium. 
Materials and Measurements 
Damage to the bulk of transparent optical media can occur in amorphous, polymeric, polycrystalline or crystalline materials. Research into, and measurements of phenomena that influence the damage process, such as absorption, thermal conductivity, stress-optic coefficients, moduli and defects are reported, as well as damage testing on bulk materials. With the emergence of micro- and nanostructured materials, especially those used in fiber laser systems and photonic crystal structures, the relationship between the propagating laser flux and engineered defects becomes even more important. 
Invited Presentation: Nanosecond-laser induced multiple pulse damage in different optical materials Frank Wagner, Institut Fresnel (France) 
Surfaces, Mirrors, and Contamination 
Optical surfaces often limit the fluence of an optic due to intrinsic and extrinsic flaws and defects. Proper surface preparation, subsurface damage control, roughness and scattering reduction, environmental degradation and aging prevention, contamination control, can all improve the performance of mirrors and other surfaces. 
Invited Presentation: Particle-induced damage on high-energy laser systems Christopher Carr, Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (USA) 
Thin Films 
Because of the tremendous range of applications of optical multilayers for modifying the performance of optical measurements, and because thin films are generally the weakest part of optical systems, research into more damage-resistant thin films is a vibrant area. In addition to damage thresholds or sensitivity, researchers are interested in advanced film-deposition technology, contamination, film structure, film design, and film response to environmental attack and aging, including hardness and abrasion resistance. 
Invited Presentation: Optical Damage of High Performance Thin Film Transparent Electrodes, Selim Elhadj,Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (USA) 
Fundamental Mechanisms 
Topics range from the basics of photon-matter interaction to methods of test procedures and data reduction to systems considerations. Emphasis is on nonlinear behavior; for example, multiphoton effects, nonlinear refractive index, and self-focusing. This area also includes modeling, such as thermal behavior of defect-initiated damage and the interplay between elements in an optical train that affect performance and hence damage. 
Invited Presentation: Virtual and Real Materials for Interference Coatings, Marco Jupe, Laser Zentrum Hannover (Germany)