Journal profile · Optics
APPLIED PHYSICS B-LASERS AND OPTICS
ISSN 0946-2171 · eISSN 1432-0649 · Springer Berlin Heidelberg · UNITED STATES · Monthly · Founded 1981
APPLIED PHYSICS B-LASERS AND OPTICS: CAS Zone 4 · Physics & Astronomy (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.8; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,090; median 93 days to acceptance (96 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 237 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
APPLIED PHYSICS B-LASERS AND OPTICS is published by Springer Berlin Heidelberg and is in Zone 4 of Physics & Astronomy in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Advanced Fiber Laser Technologies, Spectroscopy and Laser Applications and Laser Design and Applications, together about 30.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics and Electrical and Electronic Engineering. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Applied Physics was founded in 1973 and is one of the leading international, peer-reviewed journals in the area of experimental and theoretical investigations in applied research. ScopeApplied Physics B covers the broad field of
· laser physics
· linear and nonlinear optics
· ultrafast phenomena incl. attosecond physics
· photonic materials & devices
· optical and laser materials
· quantum optics and quantum information
· laser spectroscopy of atoms, molecules and clusters
· use of laser radiation in biophotonics, chemistry and biochemistry In addition to regular papers Applied Physics B features invited reviews. Fields of topical interest are covered by topical collections. The journal also includes a rapid communication section for the speedy publication of important and particularly interesting results. SubmissionsInstructions for authors are found under the links for Authors and Editors in the right column of this page.Once a manuscript has been accepted, it is published quickly and free of page charges if page restrictions are observed (see Instructions for Authors). Availability Applied Physics B: Lasers & Optics offers a fast publication schedule whilst maintaining rigorous peer review; all articles must be submitted online, and peer review is managed fully electronically (articles are distributed in PDF form, which is automatically generated from the submitted files). Articles will be published with their final citation after acceptance, in both fully browsable web form, and as a formatted PDF. Extensive reference linking is also provided through CrossRef and other services. The table of contents and the abstracts are accessible free of charge. The full text and references with reference linking are accessible to subscribers.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Optics
Editor-in-chief Jacob MackenziePublisher website
Editorial board by country: 3 in mainland China (about 14%); most named Germany 4, Mainland China 3, Hong Kong, China 1, Taiwan, China 1, United States 1 (22 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Advanced Fiber Laser TechnologiesPhysics and Astronomy11.8%
- Spectroscopy and Laser ApplicationsChemistry10%
- Laser Design and ApplicationsEngineering8.7%
- Solid State Laser TechnologiesEngineering8.7%
- Laser-Matter Interactions and ApplicationsPhysics and Astronomy8%
- Photonic and Optical DevicesEngineering6.6%
- Photorefractive and Nonlinear OpticsPhysics and Astronomy6.3%
- Laser-induced spectroscopy and plasmaEngineering3.7%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Physics & Astronomy Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Optics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Physics, Applied | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Physics & Astronomy Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Optics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Physics, Applied | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Physics & Astronomy Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Optics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Physics, Applied | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
EI CompendexINSPECCASCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Astrophysics Data System, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 1.8LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.8Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.42LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.84LetPub ·
- h-index
- 119LetPub ·
- h-index
- 165OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 6,537OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.34OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 19.11%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 232LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 603,800Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 11,993 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 98 | 94 | 34 |
| 2025 | 237 | 62 | 416 |
| 2024 | 218 | 41 | 844 |
| 2023 | 197 | 67 | 1,050 |
| 2022 | 231 | 70 | 2,263 |
| 2021 | 186 | 44 | 1,779 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
93 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 59 days – 146 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 16 days (96 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 118 days
- Sample
- 96 articles with submission and acceptance dates (301 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 3 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 7 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 4,090 / EUR 3,090 / GBP 2,690 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Open calls for papers2, by deadline
- Europhoton - 2026Deadline
- FLAIR - 2026Deadline
What to prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 200 words
- Templates
- LaTeX and Word
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional, 3
- Cover letter
- Required
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access
- Authorship Authorship principles
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
All original research must include a data availability statement. Model summary
All original research must include a data availability statement. This statement should explain how to access data supporting the results and analysis in the article, including links/citations to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Please see our full policy here. If it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be com…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
The copyright to the article is transferred to Springer (for U.S. government employees: to the extent transferable) effective if and when the article is accepted for publication. The copyright transfer covers the exclusive right to reproduce and distribute the article, including reprints, translations, photographic reproductions, microform, electronic form (offline, online) or any other reproducti…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
Copyright transfer to Springer upon acceptance. Model summary
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Applied Physics B, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Springer Berlin Heidelberg
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1981
- ISSN
- 0946-2171
- Electronic ISSN
- 1432-0649
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about APPLIED PHYSICS B-LASERS AND OPTICS
What CAS zone is APPLIED PHYSICS B-LASERS AND OPTICS in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, APPLIED PHYSICS B-LASERS AND OPTICS is in Zone 4 of Physics & Astronomy, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Optics / Physics, Applied. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Physics & Astronomy. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of APPLIED PHYSICS B-LASERS AND OPTICS?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.8; CiteScore 4, h-index 165.
How long does peer review take at APPLIED PHYSICS B-LASERS AND OPTICS?
Based on the dates recorded on 96 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 93 days (interquartile range 59–146 days); authors report an average review time of about 3 months; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of APPLIED PHYSICS B-LASERS AND OPTICS?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 200 words; Templates: LaTeX and Word; Suggested reviewers: Optional, 3; Cover letter: Required. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of APPLIED PHYSICS B-LASERS AND OPTICS based?
Of the 22 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 3 (about 14%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Germany (4), Mainland China (3) and Hong Kong, China (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index APPLIED PHYSICS B-LASERS AND OPTICS?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, APPLIED PHYSICS B-LASERS AND OPTICS is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists EI Compendex, INSPEC, CAS and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is APPLIED PHYSICS B-LASERS AND OPTICS open access, and what is the APC?
APPLIED PHYSICS B-LASERS AND OPTICS is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,090.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-28). Last updated: .