55th Course: THIRD MEDITERRANEAN INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON PHOTOACOUSTIC & PHOTOTHERMAL PHENOMENA: FOCUS ON BIOMEDICAL AND NANOSCALE IMAGING AND NDE

PURPOSE OF THE COURSE The aim of the workshop is to bring together all scientists, technology developers and technology users who are investigating or exploiting optically and electromagnetically excited acoustical and thermal phenomena for the investigation of a large variety of material properties and applications. The wealth of photoacoustic and photothermal (PA/PT) topics indicate that this field has developed a broad range of tools for fundamental and applied research. PA/PT research has reached a mature state, with an established position in measurement technology and materials characterisation and future progresses are guaranteed by the close synergy with advances in laser technology and measurement technology. This third workshop acknowledges the explosive growth of biomedical photoacoustics and tissue imaging, and the presence of an ever growing biomedical photoacoustics research community around the world and in Europe, in particular. It also acknowledges the significant and growing contributions of photoacoustic and photothermal non-destructive evaluation/characterization to nanoscale and other advanced materials (with connections to biomedical imaging by use of nanoparticles). The third workshop will therefore focus on these topics. Participants are encouraged to present their own results in the field.