Sarina Tracy, sarina.tracy@photonics.com When certain members of the universe play a linear game of hide-and-seek, humans pay attention: Many don special solar glasses; others stay up late to catch sight of a burnt-orange moon. Solar and lunar eclipses are sights to behold, appearing just a few times a year and visible only to certain...Read full articleRelated content from Photonics MediaARTICLESAgarwal Group Puts Spin on PhotonsThe University of Pennsylvania’s (Penn) Agarwal Group, headed by professor Ritesh Agarwal, seeks to understand how light interacts with small-scale nanostructures. The group then uses that...Photonics Spectra December 2018 IssueCapasso Group Designs Metasurface Polarization OpticsThe Capasso Group at Harvard University's John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) is focusing much of its research on metasurfaces and metasurface polarization optics. The...Photonics.com 8/9/2018Nonlinear Optical Process Could Improve Solar-Powered DesalinationResearchers at Rice University have improved the efficiency of their solar-powered desalination system by more than 50% by concentrating sunlight into “hot spots.” Using the same amount...Photonics.com 6/20/2019Welding with Pulsed Lasers Protects Temperature-Sensitive MaterialsA new ceramic welding technology developed by engineers at the University of California, San Diego and the University of California, Riverside uses a series of short, ultrafast laser pulses to melt...Photonics Spectra November 2019 IssuePRODUCTSPan-Tilt StagesThe PT60-1 and PT100-1 Pan-Tilt Stages from Optimal Engineering Systems Inc. feature a high repeatability and positional accuracy of 18 arc sec, as well as a resolution of 10 micro-steps/step motor...Photonics Spectra August 2019 IssueAluminum XY StageThe AU200-100x100 aluminum XY stage from Optimal Engineering Systems Inc. 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The devices...Photonics Spectra February 2019 IssuePHOTONICS HANDBOOK ARTICLESOptical Delay Lines: Key to Time-Resolved Measurements: To obtain an accurate means of creating reliable delays in any time-resolved spectroscopy or dynamic experiment, several factors about the delay line stage must be considered to reduce or eliminate errors associated with linear stages.One of the most critical elements of any time-resolved spectroscopy and dynamics experiment is the optical delay line. A typical optical delay line consists of a retroreflector or folding mirrors on...Photonics HandbookAspheric Lenses: Design Considerations: This first of two articles will cover design and manufacturing options for aspheres; the second will include more detail on manufacturing and testing processes. These articles will provide the tools optics designers need to tailor their designs to the appropriate manufacturing process and to optimize the cost of component fabrication.Aspheric surfaces are powerful tools that combine the optical corrections of multiple lenses into a single element (Figure 1) and affect performance in ways that spherical optics cannot. For example,...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 HandbookFlat Optics: Considerations When Buying: To simplify the process when purchasing flat optics, we will discuss the top six factors from a manufacturer’s perspective, all of which affect the three major areas of the purchasing decision: quality, delivery and cost.Flat optics generally perform three main functions: They transmit light (windows), reflect light (mirrors) and fold light (prisms). While most optical manufacturers make spherical and flat optics, a...Photonics HandbookWHITEPAPERSBuilding a DIY Atomic Force MicroscopeAtomic force microscopes (AFM) are often seen as out of reach for many scientists with limited budgets. 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We’ll also introduce you to an Industry Beacon in the Educator category, and...Photonics.com 9/28/2017Light Matters Extra: Optics & Photonics Technology Program, STCC - 09.2017In this month’s Light Matters Extra, we take you to the Springfield Technical Community College campus and introduce you to Professor Nick Massa, who has been teaching Optics and Photonics there for...Photonics.com 9/28/2017Fundamentally Different Photonics - LIGHT MATTERS 03.2018On this month's episode of Light Matters, we take you to the South by Southwest (SXSW) Trade Show in Austin, Texas, as new photonics innovations hit the show floor of the Austin Convention Center....Photonics.com 3/29/2018PHOTONICS BUYERS' GUIDE CATEGORIESOptical FlatsAn optical flat is a piece of glass, pyrex or quartz having one or both surfaces carefully ground and polished plano, generally flat to less than a tenth of a wavelength.Ruby LasersA ruby laser is an optically pumped, solid-state laser that uses sapphire as the host lattice and chromium as the active ion. The emission takes place in the red portion of the spectrum.Fiber LasersA fiber laser is a laser in which the lasing medium is an optical fiber doped with low levels of rare-earth halides to make it capable of amplifying light. Output is tunable over a broad range and...Beam Focusing EquipmentCOMPANIESA.R.W. Optical CorporationARW Optical is your reliable manufacturer of quality optics and coatings. Beamsplitters • Prototyping through volume-production quantities • High-performance and durable optical...Photonics Buyers' GuideLaCroix 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' GuideII-VI Optical SystemsAs a vertically integrated provider, II-VI Optical Systems is uniquely positioned to meet the critical and complex design, engineering and production requirements of customers in the aerospace and...Photonics Buyers' GuideMeller Optics Inc.Meller Optics has been providing high quality optics to defense, medical, laser and industrial markets for over 50 years. Specializing in grinding and polishing of hard, durable materials such as...Photonics Buyers' Guide