PhD thesis on laser communication in space awarded

“My ambition during writing was to put together something that I could be content with, that I could be proud of years later, and something that others can use to create understanding in the field of sensitive receivers for space-based laser communication. Having received this award means a lot to me, as it provides confirmation that the hard work I put in during my doctoral studies and thesis writing has resulted in something useful and appreciated by others,” says Rasmus Larsson after receiving the news of the prestigious award.

He is awarded for the PhD thesis “High sensitivity receivers for free-space optical communication links” by the IEEE Photonics Society Sweden Chapter, a Swedish photonics-oriented sub-organization of the IEEE. The jury's motivation not only highlights the relevance and timing of the results presented and which are believed to pave the way for practical applications in space exploration. They also emphasize the thesis' rigorous and systematic approach that both provides a thorough historical perspective and contributes cutting-edge research.

“In this thesis, I tried to be pedagogical in the descriptions I made, and I used a lot of illustrations to provide the reader a picture of different concepts. I have also given thought to the structure of the thesis so that it introduces new topics in a natural order while staying connected to the motivation and background. In other words, delivering a good story was my main goal, something which is made easier with interconnected and exhaustive research publications” explains Rasmus.

It was at the end of August 2024 that Rasmus defended his thesis at the Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience at Chalmers. And the journey there had been demanding, to say the least.

“It has been like a long endurance race: challenging, stressful, engrossed, exhausting, hyper-focused, and finally, after the defense, a lasting exhale of relief.”

Do you have any tips for someone who is now in the middle of, or perhaps about to start, writing their thesis?

“Carefully consider the structure for the thesis and adapt it according to what you want to convey. If you can, write the thesis in the same order in which it is read, it makes it easier for you to keep track of what you have covered and what you can refer back to. Writing a thesis takes longer than you think, give yourself enough time. Good illustrations are a great help to the reader! Give it your all, just make sure not to stumble before the finish line!”