PHOTO SPOTLIGHT OF EQUIPMENT, INSTRUMENTS AND TECHNOLOGY IMPACTING RESEARCH IN THE BAILEY COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS

Photos by Alexis Kovacevic

A Good Tool for Bad Vibrations

There are no such things as good vibrations when it comes to research and testing calibrated with micro-precision. Optical tables are designed to hold optical components in perfect alignment, down to fractional measurements of mere nanometers. The slightest of movements — a soft footstep, a door gently closing, etc. — could destroy an experiment, unless an optical table is used to prevent that. Through donor funding, Cal Poly’s Physics Department recently purchased a Newport RS2000-46-8 optical table that uses low frequency vibration absorber tuned damping technology to allow high-performance stability, which can be critical with leading-edge applications.

Physics Professor Isinsu Baylam Toker is the lead faculty managing the equipment used by researchers in the department and across campus. Toker instructs undergraduates on how to work with laser elements and other components. During the Conferences for Undergraduate Women and Gender Minorities in Physics (CU*iP) held on campus in January 2025, Toker led demonstrations with laser instruments on the Newport Optical Table attended by undergraduates from Cal Poly and other universities.

Toker is in the process of establishing the Cal Poly Laser Science Laboratory, which will be an exciting new addition to the Bailey College. She was a member of the 2019 Ambassadors and 2022 Senior Members classes of the Optica Foundation — an international society advancing light science and technology worldwide and dedicated to promoting the generation, application, archiving and dissemination of knowledge in the field. 

TOP, PHOTO 1: A laser demonstration in progress on the Newport optical table. PHOTO 2: Visiting students from UCLA wear protective eyewear during Toker’s laser demonstration as part the CU*iP. PHOTO 3: Toker shares details and instructions before a demonstration. PHOTOS 4-6: A laser demonstration in progress on the Newport optical table.