KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M., July 17, 2006 -- Most astronomers would probably say that a good telescope and good weather are necessary to capture a high-quality image of an object in space. But a scientist at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Directed Energy Directorate would say true quality is only achievable with adaptive optics. "You could have a 100-meter (328 feet) mirror on a telescope, but without adaptive optics, you will get the same image resolution as an off-the-shelf 4-inch telescope," said Lt. Col. Dennis Montera, chief of the analysis branch at Starfire Optical Range, a research facility of the lab's Optics...Read full articleRelated content from Photonics MediaARTICLESAir Force Researchers Track Asteroid and Its Moon with Smallest Telescope YetA 1.5-m Starfire Optical Range (SOR) telescope at Kirtland Air Force Base recorded an image of asteroid Kalliope and its moon Linus, making it the smallest telescope to date to image and follow an...Photonics.com 1/6/2022BlueHalo Awarded Two AFRL ContractsBlueHalo has been awarded two contracts by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), one for optical laser communications and one for a directed-energy modeling and simulations virtual range. ...Photonics.com 6/21/2022People in the News: 7/21/21SAN JOSE, Calif. — NeoPhotonics appointed Sheri Savage to its board of directors. NeoPhotonics develops silicon photonics and advanced hybrid photonic integrated circuit-based lasers, modules,...Photonics.com 7/21/2021Development of Hybrid Silicon Lasers Takes FlightThe Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) approved a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the Nanoelectronics Materials Branch and Iris Light Technologies that will focus on the...Photonics Spectra June 2021 IssuePRODUCTSLightweight MirrorsLightweight mirror design techniques from Optical Surfaces Ltd. can reduce the weight of a mirror by as much as 60%. Lightweight mirrors are designed to provide sufficient rigidity to ensure...Photonics.com 8/4/2020Fast-Steering MirrorsFast Steering Mirrors from CMM Optic provide precision pointing for high accuracy and low jitter. The flexure-mounted or ball-bearing systems provide a compact, high-performance solution for...Photonics Spectra August 2021 IssueAutofocus Zoom CameraThe Harrier 40x AF-Zoom Camera from Active Silicon Ltd. is a compact and cost-effective autofocus-zoom module with 40× optical zoom in a 101 × 54 × 64-mm footprint. The camera...Vision Spectra Autumn 2021 IssueLidar Receiver SubsystemfanSINKS™ heat sinks from Advanced Thermal Solutions Inc. are designed for component sizes ranging from 27 to 70 mm2. The wider size range accommodates hot semiconductor components,...Photonics.com 11/4/2021PHOTONICS HANDBOOK ARTICLESAdaptive Optics: Taming Atmospheric Turbulence: For more than three centuries, the Earth’s atmosphere has frustrated astronomers. The layer of gases that we breathe also distorts the images formed by telescopes. This means that conventional telescopes of more than a few centimeters in diameter cannot reach the resolution limit set by their optics.To Isaac Newton the problem was clear, and in 1704 he realized the effects of atmospheric turbulence on image formation. Just as heat waves shimmering above a hot patch of ground can distort our...Photonics HandbookThin-Film Coatings: A Buyers' Guide: The vast majority of optics used in precision scientific, industrial, biomedical, and military applications incorporate thin-film coatings on their surfaces. Therefore, it’s useful for almost anyone involved in the specification and purchase of optical components to have some familiarity with the typical performance characteristics, trade-offs and limitations of various coating types, as well as some knowledge of the capabilities of common thin-film production technologies. This article provides an objective overview of both these topics.What are thin-film coatings? The purpose of any optical thin-film coating is to modify the transmittance and reflectance properties of the substrate material to which they are applied. Most coatings...Photonics HandbookNano-Optics Technology: Optical Alchemy: Transforming ordinary materials into extraordinary optics holds the key to progress.Optics today needs alchemy, and the forces that motivate microchip technology are a key reason why. Today, light can transmit and process digital information as well as electricity can — in...Photonics HandbookImage Processing: Turning Digital Data into Useful Information: Digital imaging provides the means to enhance features of interest while attenuating details that are irrelevant to a given application, and then extracts useful information about the scene from the enhanced image.Images are produced by many means: cameras, x-ray machines, electron microscopes, radar and ultrasound. They are used in the entertainment, medical, scientific and business industries; for security...Photonics HandbookWHITEPAPERSMultilayer Coating for Extreme Ultraviolet ExperimentsExtreme ultraviolet (EUV) multilayer coatings have been designed and fabricated for many kinds of experiments including high-order harmonics application. In this paper, we present recent results...Photonics.com 12/4/2020colorPol® Glass PolarizersFind out all about colorPol glass polarizers, made to made your application in ultraviolet, visible and infrared wavelength ranges.Photonics.com 8/10/2021Characterizing the temperature-induced evolution of the shape and texture of a silicon waferUsing Linkam’s precision temperature control chamber with Sensofar’s Linnik objective lens eliminates these problems and allows accurate measurement of 3D topographic profiles of nanoscale materials....Photonics.com 12/10/2021Using Imaging Colorimeters to Correct OLED, MicroLED, and Other Emissive Displays for Production Efficiency and YieldsImaging colorimeters can improve OLED and microLED display production by ensuring visual quality of displays — measuring brightness and color uniformity at the pixel and subpixel level to correct...Photonics.com 1/14/2021WEBINARSAdaptive Optics: From Design to ApplicationAdaptive optics (AO) is a technology originally used for removing the blurring effect of atmospheric turbulence on images in ground-based telescopes. 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The paraboloidal mirror may have only a portion of a paraboloidal surface through which the axis does not pass, and is known as an...EDU.photonics.com 3/5/2018very long baseline interferometry (VLBI)Consists of a pair of radio telescopes concentrated on a single celestial object. This technique creates a single radio telescope with a diameter equal to the distance between the pair, which allows...EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009Rochon prismA polarizing prism assembly made up of two cemented calcite halves. The prism transmits the ordinary ray without deviation, while the extraordinary ray is deviated to accomplish the polarization.EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009Pockels effectA linear effect found in particular crystals that are capable of advancing or retarding the phase of the induced ordinary ray, relative to the extraordinary ray, when an electric field is applied....EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009MEDIADeformable Mirrors for Optical Performance - ALPAOALPAO Deformable Mirrors (DM) are based on continuous reflective surface motioned by magnetic actuators. They feature large strokes, high dynamic motion, and an excellent optical quality to meet and...Photonics.com 8/26/2021Optical Coatings Machinery and Process - Optolong Optics Co. Ltd.Optolong Optics Co. Ltd., brand owner of Optolong, is a manufacturer of fluorescence filters and astronomy filters. We also offer other interference filters including UV filters, visible filters, and...Photonics.com 4/19/2022Optics and Photonics at the Hub of the Industry - LIGHT MATTERS 10.2017Tune into this month's edition of Light Matters for some of the highlights from Optifab 2017, as distributors and buyers from all over the world met in the photonics industry hub of Rochester, New...Photonics.com 10/26/2017Rainbow Research Optics LLC Introduction VideoRainbow Research Optics LLC Introduction VideoPhotonics.com 5/27/2022PHOTONICS BUYERS' GUIDE CATEGORIESAdaptive OpticsAdaptive optics are optical components or assemblies whose performance is monitored and controlled so as to compensate for aberrations, static or dynamic perturbations such as thermal, mechanical and...Acousto-Optic Fiber Optic SwitchesElectro-Optic CrystalsAcousto-Optic FiltersCOMPANIESLaCroix Precision OpticsOptics that Defend, Build, Cure and Discover The LaCroix name is synonymous with quality precision optics. Since 1947, three generations of family leadership have placed LaCroix Precision Optics...Photonics Buyers' GuideKnight OpticalWe are a trusted leading global figure in the production and distribution of scientific, stock and custom precision optics with over 30 years’ experience providing optical solutions for a huge...Photonics Buyers' GuideGT Advanced Technologies, Advanced Materials GroupGTAT’s Advanced Materials Group (AMG) is the developer of the Heat Exchange Method (HEM), of crystal growth. AMG produces HEM sapphire, HEM Ti:Sapphire and HEM YAG crystals. The group has...Photonics Buyers' GuideShanghai Optics Inc.Shanghai Optics is a leading manufacturer of advanced optical components and optical assemblies. Shanghai Optics is an unparalleled custom optical solution provider offering custom optical design and...Photonics Buyers' Guide