This talk will discuss the above topics in general, but will focus primarily on work done by Jain's research group at the University of New Mexico on the subject of high-Q spherical microresonators and narrow linewidth lasers operating in the mid-infrared spectral region, with a primary focus on molecular sensing at trace (sub-ppb) levels.

In addition, time permitting, Prof. Jain will provide a brief overview of plans for the VAJRA collaborative research activity initiated at IITM (with Prof. Srinivasan's research group, the University of Southampton and the University of California, San Diego) on ultrahigh-sensitivity sensing of low levels of arsenic in well water with the use of advanced optical fibers, high-Q microbottle resonators and OAM (optical angular momentum) laser beams.