Light (all the way from the infrared to x-rays) is holding an enormous potential in a lot of applications. Photonics, the science and technology of laser light and its widespread applications, is far from being mature; rather, it belongs to the fastest growing and developing technologies of the 21^st century. Photonics holds promise for dramatically speeding up electron-based information technologies, advancing single-molecule biological imaging to atomic resolution, and revolutionizing techniques for cancer diagnosis and therapy.

Physicists, biologists, chemists, and medical scientists with worldwide reputation are working together in MAP for developing next-generation lasers and laser-driven x-ray and particle sources as well as laser-based techniques and technologies for the above mentioned and other promising applications.