\nWe describe the six year journey of Cycle, a young high-tech company that manufactures world-leading femtosecond precision systems based on ultra-short pulse lasers. Cycle\u2019s products are based on the latest research results in femtosecond optics developed for large scale research facilities like X-ray Free-Electron Lasers. The goal is to convert the ultrafast laser technologies developed for fundamental research in the area of molecular sciences into industrial grade products to build a small to medium-sized company. Key to success is a very talented team of scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n
Speaker profile:<\/strong> Franz X. K\u00e4rtner received his MS and PhD degrees in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology from Technical University Munich and the Venia Legendi in Experimental Physics from ETH Zurich. After teaching and research in Femtosecond Optics at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he joined the Physics Department at Universit\u00e4t Hamburg in 2011 and heads the Ultrafast Optics and X-rays Group at the Center for Free-Electron Laser Science at Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron a Research Center of the Helmholtz Association. He published more than 400 peer-reviewed journal articles and holds more than 40 patents in the area of femtosecond optical sources, time and frequency metrology, Terahertz generation, acceleration and X-ray sources. In 2015, he founded the DESY Spin-Off Company Cycle GmbH with the mission to commercialize the technologies developed in his laboratory. He is a Fellow of IEEE and OSA.<\/p>\n Company profile:<\/strong> Cycle is a young high-tech company that manufactures world-leading femtosecond precision systems based on ultra-short pulse lasers. The DESY Spin-Off company was founded in 2015 by renowned researcher Prof. Franz X. K\u00e4rtner. For customers in science and industry, Cycle manufactures unique products that enable new applications in biology, material analysis and precision metrology. Its femtosecond precision timing and frequency systems are used in research facilities around the world such as X-ray free electron lasers, high intensity laser facilities and ultrafast laser laboratories. As an official contractor of ESA, Cycle supplies the next generation of time and frequency distribution systems for DeepSpace ground stations. Currently, Cycle is in the process of rolling out its next product platform, which is a multi-wavelength femtosecond laser system for multi-modal multi-photon microscopy, especially the upcoming 3-photon microscopy. The company is constantly expanding and advancing its technology in close cooperation with leading international institutions and is always looking for talented and enthusiastic individuals to complement its international team (currently 15 people and 1 dog) in Hamburg. <\/p>\n