Prof. Vladan Blahnik – will everything remain new?

Born in 1971 in Wolfsburg, Prof. Dr. Blahnik studied physics at the TU Braunschweig and received his PhD on the topic of “Partially coherent object space-variant imaging theory” (supervised by Prof. Dr. G. Gerlich, TU Braunschweig and Prof. Dr. A. W. Lohmann, University of Erlangen) with a research stay at the Optical Sciences Center in Tucson, Arizona. From 2001 to 2022, he worked in various positions and areas at Carl Zeiss AG in Oberkochen - first as Lead System Engineer at ZEISS SMT AG responsible for projection and illumination systems for 193nm lithography, then as Head of Optical Design for photo, film and industrial lenses, and worked in various international development projects with ZEISS partners such as Nokia or Sony on digital imaging projects as well as on the development of new business areas such as post-processing for cinematography, 3D image acquisition, smartphone imaging, optics for machine vision or flight and underwater drones in the ZEISS Consumer Products business unit. Since 2018, he has been working in ZEISS Corporate Research on high-precision interferometers for EUV free-form mirrors, industrial 3D measurement systems and various applications at the interface between optics and photonics such as LIDAR systems for autonomous driving or new concepts for optical coherence tomography (OCT). In addition to future optical systems, he also worked on technical and historical developments at ZEISS, such as the lenses for the NASA moon landings, and frequently represented ZEISS as an optics expert in public relations. In 2022, he joined Hensoldt AG as a Principal Scientist and developed optical designs of complex metrology systems for beam targeting in EUV scanners, space telescopes and various zoom lenses for multispectral and thermal imaging systems.

At the end of 2023, he was appointed to Jena, where he succeeds Prof. Dr. Herbert Gross as Professor for “Optical System Design and Simulation”.

Prof. Blahnik, what motivated you to apply for the professorship here in Jena?

During my time at ZEISS, I have worked with universities for many years, mentoring students and giving lectures. I have always enjoyed passing on knowledge to the next generation, working scientifically and combining theory with practical work on new products. As a result, the development of the principles has never stood still, and the quality of the products developed has benefited from this. In more than twenty years of work, many ideas have emerged, which I would now like to deepen in the academic field!

The Jena region is unique in the world for optics and photonics. From basic technology development in the field of free-form surfaces, gradient index lenses, diffractive optics or meta-lenses to their use in bio-photonics, laser physics or many other applications. I am very much looking forward to “connecting worlds” in this great environment in Jena.

There are very few universities in the world that offer an education in the fundamentals of optical design combined with the practical application of optical design software. The chair of my predecessor Prof. Dr. Herbert Gross, which was established here in Jena in 2012, has produced many outstanding graduates who have quickly taken on important expert roles in the optics industry. I experienced this myself during my time at ZEISS when several of his PhD students became my colleagues.

The Optical System Design and Simulation Group in Jena should continue to be an international attraction for students and young scientists who are enthusiastic about optical design and the theory of optical systems and should be a world leader in current research topics in this field. I am very motivated that the graduates will acquire the knowledge and skills to take up key positions in the optical industry and research institutes in the future.

For the past two decades, my focus has been on product development. The professorship gives me the opportunity to pass on the many experiences I have gained and to concentrate fully on researching the fundamentals and methods. I am very much looking forward to this. That's why the position here in Jena was a great stroke of luck for me in my field of expertise.

So, what are your plans here at the Institute and in Jena?

The word “system” in the name of the research group is important because an optical SYSTEM is usually complex. Good image quality over a larger field of view with increasing apertures requires many optical components. The potential of many new technologies such as meta-lenses, gradient index lenses or curved sensors can often only be realized in combination with many, sometimes different, components. I see it as an important task of the research group to explore these potentials, but also the limits of new optical and photonic technologies in a system, as an important task of the chair. Conversely, theory can also provide impetus for new technological developments. Here, too, I hope for good cooperation within the Jena research community and beyond.

The (numerical) modeling and optimization of optical systems always means a compromise between physical approximations and practical computational times. Complex straylight simulations with billions of rays, three-dimensional image simulations or the optimization of zoom systems with large apertures were impossible just a few decades ago. Every ten years, we gain a factor of about 100 in computing time. As a result, analysis, tolerancing, and optimization methods need to be constantly improved and new methods, such as AI, must be integrated.

The computational design of optical systems is much less represented at German universities than the optical industry requires. There are only a few very good optical designers who can master complex optical designs such as high-precision lithography lenses or zoom lenses. At ZEISS alone, hundreds of developers work in the field of optical system design and often play a key role in the success of project developments. Even very good PhD physicists or mathematicians usually need years to learn the special methods of optical design, the use of optical programs for system optimization or straylight simulation for application problems. In addition, the quality of the required training in optical design fundamentals and software in the industry suffers from the time pressures of the project business and, in smaller companies, also from a lack of mentoring.

It is a great motivation for me that this research group will continue to produce experts with very good knowledge of aberration and imaging theory combined with practical skills in optimization and tolerancing in optical design software. The PhD students should also acquire a broad knowledge of modern optical technologies. In addition to the “manual skills” of optimization and tolerancing, optical design is a creative process. The methodological approach is often not straightforward. It also requires the application of various technological possibilities. The specifications and boundary conditions are also usually not set in stone, but have to be constantly questioned and adapted to the solution concepts. Complex optical design problems require a structured approach and the exploration of an entire solution space. This is what I would like to teach this in the advanced course, where more complex optical design projects will also be worked on and there will also be optical design challenges.

The beauty of optics lies in the combination of theory and practice. This is practiced both at the Abbe School of Photonics and in the specialization courses in physics here in Jena. I think I fit in well here. The tasks at ZEISS were exciting because we often tried to implement the latest technology in products at the limits of feasibility. There was a close contact with the customer in order to find the greatest possible added value for the application solution. For example, I have fond memories of working with cameraman Tom Fährmann (“The Miracle of Bern”) on the problem of implementing a variable soft look in movie lenses to enable better portrait shots.  Working closely with Tom, we came up with a nice solution using Alvarez plates with free-form surfaces, which we were even able to integrate into existing lenses. Another example: Together with computer animation experts, we were able to open up the new field of post-processing software for ZEISS by linking our optical simulation program with the rendering software of animation studios such as Disney or Pixar in order to display animated films as if you were looking through a movie lens. The collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute in Karlsruhe on optical systems for deep-sea drones, the merging of high-aperture Lidar optics with integrated photonics chips for autonomous driving or the close cooperation in lithography with microchip manufacturers are further examples of technologically challenging and application-optimized projects. I have always been fascinated by the interdisciplinary collaboration between optical design and other disciplines. I want to keep it that way, whether in research projects in quantum physics, bio-photonics, astronomy or in historical studies and much more.

The main focus of the research group is on theory. However, theory is closely related to the practical implementation of optical devices. For this reason, an optical laboratory will be established at the chair, which will be used for both teaching and research. It will be equipped with standard optical components, commercial optical systems, basic metrology for component and system qualification as well as equipment and tools for assembly and adjustment of optical systems. The goal is to learn basic qualification methods and to practically test in practice the construction of optical systems with tight tolerances. For scientific projects, optical systems can be compared with computer simulations under defined laboratory conditions in the optics laboratory. 

What is your first impression of Jena and your new working environment?

I was really looking forward to Jena and so far, I have not been disappointed! On the one hand, Herbert Gross has given me a lot of support to prepare me well for teaching. Secondly, I feel very comfortable in the great rooms of the ACP for my lectures and tutorials. Some of the students are very interested in optical design and I really enjoy talking to them for a long time after the lectures and seminars.

There is still a lot for me to discover in Jena, but I already have a favorite place for breakfast - Café Stilbruch in the city center!

Thank you very much for the interview! We are delighted to have you at the IAP - good luck and enjoy your projects here with us!