WASHINGTON, July 19, 2019 — Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) are using nanoparticles to build fiber lasers that are safer for the eyes and more efficient. The core of the laser’s silica fiber is doped with rare earth ions of holmium. With the aid of this dopant, the researchers were able to achieve an 85% level of efficiency with a laser operating at a wavelength of 2 µm, which is considered safer for the eyes than a traditional 1 µm wavelength. Jas Sanghera, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory branch head for Optical Materials and Devices, holds up an optical fiber that will be...Read full articleRelated content from Photonics MediaARTICLESAntireflection Coatings for High-Power Fiber Laser OpticsHigh-power kilowatt-level fiber lasers operating between 1.0 and 1.1 µm find frequent use in macro-materials processing applications, such as cutting and welding metal sheets. The nature of...Photonics Spectra September 2020 IssueDiamond Raman Lasers Offer Multifaceted PotentialEver since Ted Maiman used a flash-pumped synthetic ruby crystal to generate the first coherent light source in 1960, the development of optical gain media has become a critical area of study for...Photonics Spectra September 2020 IssueAdvancements in Ultrafast Multi-100-W Average-Power Thin-Disk LasersIn both scientific research and in industrial materials processing, high-average-power diode-pumped solid-state lasers have become an indispensable tool. A crucial aspect of these lasers is the need...Photonics Spectra October 2019 IssueICLED-Powered Sensor Charts Course for Cost-Effective Methane DetectionCollaborating researchers from Princeton University and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory demonstrated gas sensor technology capable of detecting very low concentrations of methane gas, at levels as...Photonics.com 2/24/2021PRODUCTSMeasure Lasers to 120 kWMeasuring and controlling laser power is the only way to achieve reproducible results. The Ophir® 120K-W Laser Power Sensor measures very high power fiber, infrared, and Nd:YAG lasers from 10 kW...Promoted Content April 2020 IssueEASY HAZ™ Laser Hazard Analysis ToolEASY HAZ™ LSO Edition is a powerful Laser Hazard Analysis tool for LSOs with an easy-to-use database for laser inventories and audits (included with our LSO Classroom Courses). FEATURES:...Promoted Content January 2020 IssueKentek’s Livestream Laser Safety Officer Course!Kentek’s Livestream Laser Safety Officer course is delivered over 5-weeks using Zoom. The sessions are 2-days a week (Tuesdays & Thursdays) for 2-hours a day (1 pm-3 pm EST). Zoom is a...Promoted Content August 2020 IssueMicro-Welding PlatformThe LPW2424 Laser Precision Welding System from BOLD Laser Automation Inc. is a fully integrated micro-welding platform with fiber lasers from SPI Lasers Ltd. for critical applications within the...Photonics.com 7/27/2020PHOTONICS HANDBOOK ARTICLESLaser Measurement Systems: Best Practices: When purchasing a laser, learning how to apply, troubleshoot, and evaluate that device is very important.Given the pace at which technology advances, there always seems to be a learning curve. With the abundance of consumer electronics available, there typically is no right or wrong way to use these...Photonics HandbookFiber Optics: Understanding the Basics: Nothing has changed the world of communications as much as the development and implementation of optical fiber. This article provides the basic principles needed to work with this technology.Optical fibers are made from either glass or plastic. Most are roughly the diameter of a human hair, and they may be many miles long. Light is transmitted along the center of the fiber from one end...Photonics HandbookLaser Safety: Important Considerations: Laser safety is nothing to scoff at; lasers can be hazardous. Enter Class 1 laser products — lasers that are so safe that the user doesn’t require specific laser safety training or protective eyewear. Some precautions still exist, though.When purchasing an industrial laser system, the astute buyer will look for a Class 1 laser product — a system where the laser beam hazard is completely enclosed and there is no potential laser...Photonics HandbookSemiconductor Lasers: An Overview of Commercial Devices: Within only a few decades, the semiconductor laser diode has evolved into a family of robust, reliable devices, with individual conversion efficiencies of better than 60 percent, continuous output powers of several kilowatts, modulation rates of several tens of gigahertz, and wavelengths from 0.4 to beyond 2 µm. This article discusses the structures and characteristics of the most common commercial varieties.Laser diodes vary widely in their wavelengths, powers, spectra and beam quality. Yet they share two fundamental components with all other lasers: an optical amplifier and a resonator that confines...Photonics HandbookWHITEPAPERSLASERSMART™ Laboratories: A Safety PrimerThe intent of this paper is to provide a narrative checklist of considerations when setting up a laser laboratory. Our goal is to guide you away from the most common pitfalls we have found during our...Photonics.com 9/9/2019Laser Safety Program - A PrimerA laser safety program is the cornerstone of any organization using Class 3B and 4 laser systems. Management is responsible for ensuring the safe use of lasers owned and operated under its control....Photonics.com 11/1/2019New Approach for High Reliability, Low Loss Splicing between Silica and ZBLAN FibersThis paper presents results obtained by using the high thermal expansion coefficient of the ZBLAN fiber to encapsulate a smaller SiO2 fiber. A CO2 laser glass processing system was used to control...Photonics.com 2/25/2020Ball Shaped End CapsIn this paper, general ball shaped end-caps are studied and illustrated. Different ball shaped end-caps were tested and measured for a variety of applications. For example, a 2.2 mm diameter ball...Photonics.com 12/31/2019WEBINARSPolarization Extinction Ratio Measurement in Highly Birefringent Materials: Challenges and SolutionsThe use of polarization maintaining (PM) elements based upon optical fibers and waveguides are constantly growing in many applications, including telecommunications, fiber sensing, medical imaging,...Photonics.com 6/23/2021Optics for High-Power Laser ApplicationsThe field of laser optics, while by no means new, continues to be a subject of confusion and frustration, but also exciting innovation. Recent developments in laser technologies have enabled...Photonics.com 4/27/2021Laser-Induced Damage Threshold Values and How They Impact YouWith a more thorough understanding of Laser-Induced Damage Threshold (LIDT) specifications, your business can avoid unnecessary manufacturing costs. This webinar will cover ISO LIDT specifications...Photonics.com 10/25/2017Practical Solutions for Laser SafetyNo laser user wishes to hurt themselves or others, or damage expensive equipment. Nevertheless, accidents do happen. Learn the steps to ensuring the safe use of lasers in your work environment, and...Photonics.com 11/14/2017PHOTONICS DICTIONARY TERMSoptical nonlinearityThe phenomenon that makes nonlinear the mathematical expression for the electrical polarization of a medium through which lightwaves are passing. Characterizes high-power lasers principally;...EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009conduction weldingA type of laser welding of thin materials using a defocused or low-power carbon dioxide laser beam. The energy is absorbed by the material through conduction and melts the material to produce an edge...EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009coaxial gasA jet of inert gas along a laser welding beam's axis that cools, protects or cleans the work surface.EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009power densityIn laser welding or heat treating, the instantaneous laser beam power per unit area. This parameter is key in determining the fusion zone profile (area of base metal melted) on a workpiece.EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009MEDIALaser WeldingCombined with the 2D and 3D Sino-Galvo galvo scanner systems, we offer a broad range of preintegrated solutions for high volume laser welding industrial applications.Photonics.com 10/26/2020Virtual tour at SCANLAB - Home of high-performance scan systems 'Made in Germany'Visit SCANLAB virtually and see how high precision scan systems are manufactured - from research and development until shipment. SCANLAB has been developing and producing galvanometer scanners and...Photonics.com 9/25/2018Photonics on the Showroom Floor and in the Lab - LIGHT MATTERS 02.2018On this month's episode of Light Matters, we take you on a brief tour of the Higgins Laboratories at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Quinsigamond Community College and WPI received a $4M grant...Photonics.com 2/21/2018Light Matters Extra: Weird and Strange: Quantum Photonics - 03.2018In this month's Light Matters Extra, we take you to the Quantum Photonics Laboratory at MIT run by Dr. Dirk Englund. Dr. Englund's group, the Quantum Photonics Group, is made up of postdocs and...Photonics.com 3/29/2018PHOTONICS BUYERS' GUIDE CATEGORIESNd:YAG LasersLaser Safety EquipmentLaser Safety ServicesLaser Safety EyewearCOMPANIESlaservision USALASER SAFETY • Eyewear • Barriers • Windows • Training laservision USA designs and manufactures a comprehensive assortment of custom-made laser safety eyewear that attenuates...Photonics Buyers' GuideOhara Corporation, Western OfficeOhara manufactures precision optical glasses: strip/slab, cut/molded blanks, pressings, high homogeneity blanks, fine gobs, polished ball lenses, near-UV transmitting i-Line glass, ceramic...Photonics Buyers' GuideSino-Galvo (Beijing) Technology Co. Ltd.Who we are Sino-Galvo Tech., founded in 2001, is a high-tech enterprise that devotedly integrates R&D, manufacture, and sales of galvo scanners as well as control systems for industrial and...Photonics Buyers' GuideFOCtek Photonics Inc.FOCtek provides customers with all types of custom manufactured lenses, Precision Optical Components, Polarizing Optics, Prisms, Filters, Coatings, Optical Systems, Crystals, Nonlinear Crystals,...Photonics Buyers' Guide