“Metrology is a key component of the industrial value-added chain”: an interview with Prof. Wolfgang Osten

Mendeleev said: “Science begins where one begins to measure,” and “exact science is unthinkable without measure.” During his more than 4-decades-long career, Prof. Wolfgang Osten has been devoted to optical metrology and inspection technologies. Osten and his research team developed the first automated system for the quantitative and qualitative evaluation of interferograms in the ‘80s, as well as the principle of tilted-wave interferometry for high-precision aspherical and free-form surface measurement. Both techniques have since been commercialized. His achievements have “lit the way” for research in optical metrology. The bond between Osten and Light Publishing Group can be traced back to 2012, when he first submitted a paper to Light: Science & Applications (LSA) as an author and published a paper(1). Right after that, he was invited to join the Editorial Board for his enthusiasm. In 2019, he started the challenge of founding the new journal Light: Advanced Manufacturing (LAM) as the co-Editor-in-Chief. In this interview, Osten shared his insights on Optical Metrology, Holography, and the Founding of LAM with us. Follow the Q&As below and let us get closer to the “Holoknight”.