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 IssueEngineers Create New Tunable Laser MaterialsEngineers doped alumina (Al2O3) crystals with neodymium (Nd) ions to develop a new laser material capable of emitting ultrashort, high-power pulses. Their approach to materials processing resulted in...Photonics Spectra October 2018 IssueMultidisciplinary Initiative Investigates Light as an Energy SourceAn interdisciplinary group of scientists is embarking on a five-year project to explore the use of photoswitches to develop a next generation of devices that operate mechanically upon exposure to...Photonics.com 5/21/2018Lens-Free, Multicolor Holography Technique Could Enable Compact 3D DisplaysA holography technique based on computer-generated holograms (CHGs), developed by a team at Duke University, produces complex, multicolor holographic images without any bulky optical components. The...Photonics.com 1/28/2019PRODUCTSCaF2 OpticsMeller CaF2 Optics from Meller Optics Inc. operate from the UV to IR range for use in spectroscopy, laser and front-surface protection applications. The optics are manufactured to OEM...Photonics Spectra July 2017 IssueLiquid Crystal Thermography SystemThe tvLYT high-resolution liquid crystal thermography system from Advanced Thermal Solutions Inc. provides a cost-effective and portable solution for precision temperature measurement of electronics,...Photonics Spectra December 2018 IssuePrism CouplerThe Window Puck from Luminated Glazings LLC is an injection-molded, circularly symmetric prism coupler for the creation of light guides out of light-transmissive substrates. The Window Puck...Photonics Spectra January 2019 IssueUV Laser SourcesUV laser sources for use with the 20/30 PV microspectrophotometer have been announced by Craic Technologies Inc. The device will serve as an excitation source for fluorescence and...BioPhotonics March 2018 IssueMEDIAPenn's Agarwal Group Focuses on Light-Matter Interactions for Optoelectronic DevicesThe Agarwal Group at the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Materials Science and Engineering focuses on understanding how light interacts with small scale nanostructures. They also work to...Photonics.com 10/1/2018Merging Industry and Education Through Photonics - LIGHT MATTERS 09.2017Tune into this month’s edition of Light Matters for the complete list of Photonics Media’s Industry Beacon award winners. We’ll also introduce you to an Industry Beacon in the Educator category, and...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 3/29/2018Light 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 9/28/2017WHITEPAPERSUsing Newport 1936-R/2936-R Power Meters for Low-Power, Pulsed or Modulated Light SourcesRecent advancements in photonics technologies have broadened their applications into many different areas. 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Laser beam...Photonics.com 5/1/2018WEBINARSDevelopments in Optics and Optical ComponentsFree Webinar Additional Questions & Answers from the Webinar below: Speakers: Dr. Robert R. McLeod Associate Professor and Graduate Director Electrical, Computer and Energy...Photonics.com 5/29/2013Raman Spectroscopy for Research and IndustryFREE WEBINAR Additional Questions and Answers from the Webinar are below: Speakers to include: David J. Brady, Duke University Computational and Compressive Raman Spectroscopy ...Photonics.com 6/24/2013Photonics in Space ApplicationsFREE WEBINAR Webinar Questions and Answers from Dr. Rubenchik: Dr. Alexander Rubenchik Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, Calif. The Promise of Pulsed Lasers in...Photonics.com 11/15/2012Holography for Display: From AR to HUD to 3DThis webinar will discuss the technology of holographic optical elements and their use in display systems where the size and weight of optics must be constrained. While a true holographic...Photonics.com 6/12/2018PHOTONICS DICTIONARY TERMSlaserA device which operates under the processes of absorption and stimulated emission and by the condition that gain exceeds loss in order to sustain amplification. The term laser is the acronym for...EDU.photonics.com 3/5/2018adhesiveAn intermolecular substance that serves to hold materials together. Two types are used in the optical industry: one, which must be transparent and colorless, to cement lenses together; and a...EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009zodiacal lightThe sunlight that extends to the earth after scattering from other solar bodies, mostly from meteorite dust of radii equaling 10-3 cm.EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009transversely excited atmosphere carbon dioxide laserAbbreviated TEA CO2 laser. A gas laser that provides shorter pulses and higher peak powers than conventional CO2 lasers. The electrical excitation pulse occurs transversely to the optical axis...EDU.photonics.com 6/28/2017PHOTONICS 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 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 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 HandbookPHOTONICS BUYERS' GUIDE CATEGORIESRuby 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.PhotodiodesA photodiode is a two-electrode, radiation-sensitive junction formed in a semiconductor material in which the reverse current varies with illumination. Photodiodes are used for the detection of...Optical 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.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...COMPANIESLaCroix 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' GuideA.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' GuideII-VI Optical SystemsHIGH ENERGY LASER SOLUTIONS - II-VI Optical Systems provides collaborative support through all project phases, including consulting services at the project requirements definition phase, conceptual...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