An experimental method involving ultrashort laser pulses has been used to connect neurons in vitro. The technique holds promise for the repair of severed nerves. Researchers from the University of Alberta used a femtosecond laser to bond a neuronal axon and a neuronal soma. Neurons are...Read full articleRelated content from Photonics MediaARTICLESUV-Powered Fluid Pump Could Move Pollutants, Deliver DrugsA highly controllable method that uses UV light to direct particle motion and assembly within liquids could assist in drug delivery and chemical sensing. Developed by the Sen Lab at Pennsylvania...BioPhotonics April 2019 IssueMicroscopy Techniques Combine for Nanoscale Brain-Wide ImagingScientists from the Eric Betzig lab at Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Janelia Campus and the Ed Boyden Lab at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) collaborated to develop an imaging...BioPhotonics April 2019 IssueTeam Studies Optical Properties of Plasmonic NanovesiclesAn on-demand, light-triggered drug release method, known as vesicular assembly of small plasmonic nanoparticles, or plasmonic vesicle, could be used to treat disease; support the study of the nervous...BioPhotonics May/Jun 2018 IssueNanoscope’s 3D Superresolution Reveals Alzheimer’s SourceA superresolution nanoscope could enable 3D imaging of amyloid plaques — a characteristic feature of Alzheimer’s disease — with up to 10 times greater detail than conventional...BioPhotonics September 2018 IssuePRODUCTSLow-Inertia Hollow-Core Voice CoilThe HVCM-051-025-019-01 low-inertia hollow-core voice coil or moving coil linear motor from Moticont features high acceleration, precise positioning to <1 µm, high reliability, and low cost....BioPhotonics Nov/Dec 2018 IssueCytometry SystemThe Aurora advanced-flow cytometry system from Cytek Biosciences Inc. is now available with five lasers, enabling users to see more than 30 colors from a single sample. The system provides ease...BioPhotonics September 2019 IssueNanopositioning SystemThe P-616 NanoCube nanopositioning system from Physik Instrumente LP enables fast active alignment and higher scanning speed with integrated sensors for nm-precise closed-loop control. Based on...Photonics.com 5/2/2019Nanoparticle AnalyzerThe ZetaView QUATT nanoparticle analyzer from Analytik Ltd. features a multiwavelength video tracking microscope for the rapid analysis of size, concentration, fluorescence, electrophoretic mobility,...Photonics Spectra September 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 HandbookNanopositioning: A Step Ahead: It is almost a cliché among students of creativity that innovation occurs at the intersection of fields. Since nanopositioning is a discipline that has enabled swiftly evolving application arenas as diverse as materials science, genomics, photonics, defense, biophysics, and semiconductors, it’s unsurprising that its pace of innovation is nothing short of blistering in recent years.By its original definition, a nanopositioning device is a mechanism capable of repeatedly delivering motion in increments as small as one nanometer. Lately demands from industry and research have...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 HandbookPositioning System Performance: Understanding the Rules: To make the right decisions and to ensure satisfactory performance in a positioning system, it is necessary to first have a grasp of performance parameters and an understanding of their definitions.Abbe Error — Linear off-axis errors introduced by angular deviations coupled to a moment arm at the point of interest on stage mounted devices (θ in Figure 1). The effect of Abbe error...Photonics HandbookWHITEPAPERSHow Laser Quantum Measures and Reports Root Mean Square (RMS) % Noise ValueOne of Laser Quantum’s goals has always been to create lasers with the lowest possible noise. Intracavity frequency-doubled lasers have an inherent noise of about 3% RMS. Several techniques have been...Photonics.com 1/16/2019Diode Lasers Enable Diverse Therapeutic ApplicationsDiode lasers have become the dominant laser type used in therapeutic applications. This is because these workhorse devices provide lower cost of ownership, a wider choice of output wavelength and...Photonics.com 10/29/2018New Approach for High Reliability, Low Loss Splicing between Silica and ZBLAN FibersIn the past decade, ZBLAN (ZrF4-BaF2-LaF3-NaF) fibers have drawn increasing interest for laser operations at wavelengths where Fused Silica-based (SiO2) fibers do not perform well. One limitation to...Photonics.com 7/5/2018Six Best Practices for Optical Product Design TeamsIn their groundbreaking study Six Myths of Product Development, Stefan Thomke and Donald Reinertsen exposed common fallacies of product development and presented best practices for overcoming them...Photonics.com 5/1/2018WEBINARSLight Sources for Stimulated Vibrational MicroscopyAdditional questions and answers: Q: What is the power intensity for the adjusted supercontinuum Stokes laser? A: There are at least two PCF modules commonly used for supercontinuum...Photonics.com 4/22/2014Biophotonic Imaging for Medicine: A Digital ConferenceResearchers from around the world presented their latest work at “Biophotonic Imaging for Medicine: A Digital Conference.” Presentations focused on a range of light-based imaging and...Photonics.com 6/11/2015Cellular Bioluminescence Imaging of Circadian ClocksJoin Us for a Free Webinar on Cellular Bioluminescence Imaging of Circadian Clocks With David K. Welsh, M.D. and Colin Coates Bioluminescence imaging of live cells has recently been recognized...Photonics.com 4/26/2016Optical Tools for Mapping and Fixing Complex Biological SystemsComplex biological systems like the brain present a challenge: their molecular building blocks are organized with nanoscale precision, but support physiological processes and computations that occur...Photonics.com 7/1/2015PHOTONICS DICTIONARY TERMSconvolutional neural networkA powerful and flexible machine-learning approach that can be used in machine vision to help solve difficult problems. Inspired by biological processes, multiple layers of neurons process portions of...EDU.photonics.com 6/30/2017optogeneticsA discipline that combines optics and genetics to enable the use of light to stimulate and control cells in living tissue, typically neurons, which have been genetically modified to respond to light....EDU.photonics.com 3/5/2018Golgi Staining TechniqueThe Golgi staining technique (also called the black reaction) makes it possible to look at the nervous system by rendering neurons visible under light microscopy. After a long process involving...EDU.photonics.com 4/9/2018Fiber PhotometryAn optical recording technique that uses light source(s), a beamsplitting cube, light detector(s) and an optical fiber chronically implanted in animal brain to deliver excitation light to neurons...EDU.photonics.com 3/5/2018MEDIATelerobotics & Zapping Addiction - LIGHT MATTERS 04.10.2013-Telerobotics -3-D Distant Imaging -Zapping addiction This week on Light Matters: telerobots give doctors "surgical superpowers,” photon counting is used for depth imaging, a laser zaps away cocaine...Photonics.com 4/10/2013Dermascopes & Plasmonic Probes - LIGHT MATTERS 04.30.2014On this week’s show, an optogenetic switch turns neurons off, new lenses turn phones into dermascopes, nanowires absorb and emit light, and plasmonic probes quantify breast cancer gene segments....Photonics.com 4/30/2014Biofuel Crops & Infrared Light - LIGHT MATTERS 04.16.2014On this week’s show, light-activated neurons restore paralyzed muscles, a semiconductor manipulates infrared light, and scientists propose growing biofuel crops on photovoltaic farms. Light Matters...Photonics.com 4/16/2014Penn'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 10/1/2018PHOTONICS BUYERS' GUIDE CATEGORIESNanosecond LasersLasers and Laser Systems NanotechnologyPulsed CO2 LasersBiomedical and Medical NanotechnologyCOMPANIESOhara 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' GuidePCO-TECH Inc.PCO – three decades as Pioneers in Cameras and Optoelectronics PCO is a Pioneer in Cameras and Optoelectronics with more than 30 years of expert knowledge and experience developing and...Photonics Buyers' GuideSmarAct Inc.Since 2005, SmarAct develops piezo-based, high-performance positioners and measurement tools for the micro- and nanometer scale. Positioning systems with numerous degrees of freedom and parallel...Photonics Buyers' GuideZeus Industrial ProductsZeus delivers precision polymer solutions that transform businesses, markets, and lives. We have dedicated 50 years to building partnerships, products, and services. Headquartered in Orangeburg,...Photonics Buyers' Guide