The 55th Annual Laser Damage Symposium, also known as Symposium on Optical Materials for High Power Lasers, will be held 17 - 20 September in Dublin-Livermore, CA. This meeting is renowned for being the leading forum for the exchange of information on the physics and technology of materials for high-power and high-energy lasers, and will be hosted at the Holiday Inn in Dublin-Pleasanton, Pleasanton CA, United States.

The conference proceedings have grown over the years to be a comprehensive source of information on optics for lasers, covering topics such as laser-induced damage mechanisms, materials and thin film preparation, durability, properties modeling, testing, and component fabrication. Selected papers presented at this symposium are published in special sections of Optical Engineering (OE) - one of the major journals published by SPIE.

The symposium will feature 10 core topic sessions, including focuses on materials and measurements, thin films, fundamental mechanisms, and surfaces, mirrors and contamination, as well as a mini-symposium on mid-infrared lasers and laser materials, and the Thin-Film Laser-Damage Competition. Invited talks on the four core topical sections and the mini-symposium will be presented by distinguished international researchers in the field of optics for high-power/high-energy lasers. Poster and oral presentations will be offered, with no parallel sessions.