SWINDON, England, Feb. 25, 2019 — U.S. and U.K. science funding agencies have earmarked $30 million in additional funding aimed at significantly increasing the sensitivity of gravitational wave observatories around the globe. Improvements to the global gravitational wave network, with a third LIGO detector in India targeted to become operational at about the same time as ALIGO+ in 2025, are expected to include strides in quantum optics, quantum information theory, materials science, optical technology, precision metrology, and physical standards. The $30 million Advanced LIGO Plus (ALIGO+) project will improve the...Read full articleRelated content from Photonics MediaARTICLESSqueezing Improves LIGO’s Sensitivity to Quantum NoiseA new instrument called a quantum vacuum squeezer is helping LIGO — the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory — to detect gravitational wave signals nearly every week. Just...Photonics.com 12/10/2019Measuring Quantum Back Action Could Improve Sensitivity of Gravitational-Wave DetectorsResearchers at Louisiana State University (LSU) have defined a broadband, off-resonance measurement of quantum radiation pressure noise (QRPN) in the audio band, at frequencies relevant to...Photonics.com 3/26/2019Upgrades Hoped to Bring Better Results on LIGO’s Third RunLIGO, the world’s largest gravitational-wave observatory, once considered a “total waste of money,” has nearly doubled its capability to detect gravitational waves and is now more...Photonics.com 4/9/2019Sensor Detects Buried Objects from Moving VehicleA new laser-based sensor, developed by a team at the University of Mississippi, can detect buried objects such as land mines even while the detector is in motion. The new device, called a Laser Multi...Photonics Spectra November 2019 IssuePRODUCTSIR Flood IlluminatorThe Merano Hybrid IR Flood Illuminator from ams AG integrates all the electrical and optical components of IR flood illuminator and a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) driver into a...Photonics Spectra June 2020 IssueLuminance Measuring CameraThe GL OPTICAM 1.0 luminance measuring camera from Analytik Ltd. is a high-performance imaging device designed for the quality control of indoor and outdoor lighting products such as automotive,...Photonics Spectra December 2019 IssueDual-Sensor ModuleThe FLIR Hadron™ from FLIR Systems Inc. is a dual-sensor module for drone, robotic, and imaging OEMs. The thermal and visible sensor module is designed to help reduce development costs...Photonics Spectra November 2020 IssueMIPI Camera ModuleThe e-CAM217_CUMI0234_MOD from e-con Systems Inc. is a full-HD, color global shutter, four-lane MIPI camera module. Based on the 1/2.6-in. AR0234CS image sensor from ON Semiconductor with a...Photonics.com 1/22/2021PHOTONICS HANDBOOK ARTICLESInterferometry: Measuring with Light: Long applied to optical shop testing, interferometry is now used to measure many different types of parts in a variety of applications, such as optical system performance, surface roughness, surface form, and displacement of moving surfaces.An interferometer is an instrument that compares the position or surface structure of two objects. The basic two-beam division of amplitude interferometer components consists of a light source, a...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 HandbookIndustrial Lasers: An Introduction to Process Qualification: The step from successfully demonstrating a new laser process on a limited number of samples under laboratory conditions, to scaling that process up for high-volume industrial use is a big one. In particular, it’s necessary to determine how variations in process parameters affect end results, so that acceptable process input and operating ranges can be determined.Materials processing with lasers is actually a broad term for a diverse range of applications. The major categories of these uses, and the lasers that service them, are summarized Table 1. At one...Photonics HandbookWHITEPAPERSExtreme Metrology: Big Science Requires a Nano-perspectiveExtreme metrology represents the cutting edge in technological demand from the material researchers, astronomers, and other physicists whose work demands nearly unattainable precision. Understanding...Photonics.com 8/19/2020Methods for Measuring Display Defects and Mura as Correlated to Human Visual PerceptionHuman vision and perception are the ultimate determinants of display quality, however human judgment is variable, making it difficult to define and apply quantitatively in research or production...Photonics.com 1/14/2021Fractional Pixel Method for Improved Pixel-Level Measurement and Correction (Demura) of High-Resolution DisplaysAs display resolutions increase, imaging systems are challenged to continue to provide accurate pixel-level measurements while applying increasingly limited relative imaging resolution during...Photonics.com 1/14/2021Using 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 1/14/2021WEBINARSThe Future of OpticsTwo perspectives on the Future of Optics Dr. Adam Wax, Theodore Kennedy Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Duke University’s Fitzpatrick Institute for Photonics and Director...Photonics.com 10/20/2011Optical-Based Surface Metrology for CMP Optimization and Die Flatness ControlIntegrated circuit (IC) manufacturing already requires the use of advanced technology nodes down to 5 nm, and has roadmap plans requiring 2 nm for production within the next couple of years. The...Photonics.com 11/17/2020Advances in Biomedical PhotonicsA Free Webinar: Advances in Biomedical Photonics, Thursday, July 19, at 1 p.m. EDT/10 a.m. PDT/ 5 p.m. GMT/UTC Questions & Answers from the Webinar: Lihong V. Wang, PhD Gene...Photonics.com 7/19/2012From Product to Profit: The Powerful Impact of Early-stage, User-Based ResearchAdditional Q&A - Q: How can I distribute my questionnaire? If I am in the early stage of designing a specific product for India and I know my target audience... How can I reach them? Do you...Photonics.com 7/30/2014PHOTONICS DICTIONARY TERMSvery 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 9/8/2009laser strainmeterAn instrument usually consisting of a very long interferometer, 3 to 800 m, and a laser light source for the study and measurement of strain, such as those formed by earth tides and gravitational...EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009gravitational wavesPostulated by Einstein in his theory of relativity. They are waves traveling at the speed of light and exerting force on matter in their path. They are produced by changes in the distribution of...EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009slab interferometryThe method for measuring the index profile of an optical fiber by preparing a thin sample that has its faces perpendicular to the axis of the fiber, and measuring its index profile by interferometry.EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009MEDIATech Transfer Programs Bridge Gap Between Industry and ResearchTechnology Transfer Programs are often a concerted effort to share skills, knowledge, technologies, methods of manufacturing, samples of manufacturing, and facilities among governments or...Photonics.com 6/19/2018Capasso Group Embeds, Projects Independent Images on MetasurfaceMembers of the Capasso Group at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have successfully encoded multiple holographic images in a metasurface. The separate...Photonics.com 8/9/2018Light Tomorrow with TodayLuminate NY, the only optics, photonics and imaging (OPI) accelerator and investment fund in the world, announced the final winners at the Light Tomorrow with Today event in Rochester, NY. For the...Photonics.com 7/2/2018Photonics 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 2/21/2018PHOTONICS BUYERS' GUIDE CATEGORIESKrypton-Ion LasersInterferometry Laser SystemsLaser Speckle InterferometersSurface ProfilersCOMPANIESFOCtek 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' 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' GuideOxxius SAOxxius develops and manufactures DPSS (Diode Pumped Solid State) lasers and laser diode modules in the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared wavelength ranges. The LCX series of DPSS lasers and the...Photonics Buyers' GuideMad City Labs Inc.Mad City Labs, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of piezo nanopositioning systems and instrumentation capable of sub-nanometer positioning resolution. Our product line of nanopositioners,...Photonics Buyers' Guide