NASA recently announced contract awards in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, which selected 120 projects that will receive a combined total of $72 million. One of the recipients, Intevac Inc. of Santa Clara, Calif., received an award of just over a half-million dollars for the...Read full articleRelated content from Photonics MediaARTICLESFLIR Systems Invests in Providence PhotonicsFLIR Systems has made a strategic investment in Providence Photonics LLC, according to the two companies. Providence Photonics, a developer of advanced software used to quantify invisible gas...Photonics.com 12/26/2019Swansea University, Crown Holdings Enter Smart Factory Project CollaborationNext-generation smart factories, which use advanced digital technology to improve efficiency, are the focus of a collaboration between packaging manufacturer Crown Holdings Inc. and Swansea...Photonics Spectra April 2019 IssueLuminate NY Names Double Helix Top Winner of Competition's First RoundDouble Helix Optics was named the overall winner in the first round of the Luminate NY competition. The Boulder, Colo.-based company will receive $1 million in follow-on funding from New York state...BioPhotonics Jul/Aug 2018 IssueNTU, Volvo Buses Testing Self-Driving Electric Buses in SingaporeNanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and Volvo Buses will begin testing autonomous electric passenger buses in Singapore in 2019. NTU and Volvo will begin testing...Photonics Spectra May 2018 IssuePRODUCTSIndustrial SensorsAmerican Sensor Technology Inc.’s environment pressure and liquid level sensors have been announced by Heilind Electronics. The hazardous location pressure transducers are certified to...Photonics.com 11/25/2019Thermal Energy HarvesterThe EverGen PowerStrap Generator from II-VI Inc. is designed to harvest wasted heat as reusable energy in the oil and gas industry. The generator converts thermal energy into electrical energy...Photonics.com 1/23/2018Industrial VideoscopesThe TVG-PRO series of industrial videoscopes from Titan Tool Supply Inc. allow for the use of different insertion tube lengths and diameters in one video unit. The series offers tungsten braid...Photonics.com 11/5/2019InverterThe flowSOL 1 BI (TL) high-efficiency H6.5 inverter with dual booster from Vinctotech is designed to ease the development of single-phase solar applications up to 10 kW. Efficient, reliable,...Photonics.com 4/23/2018PHOTONICS HANDBOOK ARTICLESRadiometry: A Simplified Description of Light Measurement: Radiometry involves measuring and predicting levels of optical radiation. This article removes some of the confusion surrounding this often complex technology.Radiometry involves several activities. The two most common are the description and measurement of optical radiation, and, starting with the knowledge of some aspects of optical radiation at one...Photonics HandbookPhotomultipliers: Low-Light, High-Speed Specialists: Rapid detection of light calls for a sensitive detector and electronics that do not introduce additional signal noise. In fact, for very rapid detection, detector shot noise does not determine the signal-to-noise ratio. Instead, the amplifier has the most impact, which is why many designers have selected a photomultiplier tube for the high-speed or low-light-level detection of photons.The applications where rapid detection of light is a must are many. They include a wide variety: semiconductor inspection, gene sequencing, oil well logging and high-energy physics. The reasons for...Photonics HandbookOTDRs: Finding the Weak Spots in Fiber Links: The optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) is used to characterize a fiber optic span. It performs single-ended tests and can calculate fiber attenuation and uniformity and splice and connector losses. It can also locate breaks and determine fiber length. Its ability to locate and measure reflectance and loss makes it the troubleshooting and fault locating equipment of choice. New generation OTDRs include advanced functions such as macrobend location, active-fiber testing and automatic trace acquisition.An optical time-domain reflectometer sends short pulses of light into a fiber and measures its reflections as a function of time. The delay of these reflections to the detector as well as their...Photonics HandbookPassive Athermalization: Maintaining Optical Performance Over Temperature: An optical system is athermalized if its critical performance parameters (such as modulation transfer function, back focal length and effective focal length, etc.) do not change appreciably over the operating temperature range.For rotationally symmetric optical systems, either the lens or the detector moves along the optical axis to maintain optical performance. If the compensating axial motion is accomplished without the...Photonics HandbookWHITEPAPERSApplication in Optical Design: Optimization for Receiver Enclosed Energy in LiDAR SystemsEnclosed energy optimization can be an important way to achieve high-performance optical systems that have stringent irradiance requirements, such as spectrometers and solar concentrators. This white...Photonics.com 4/1/2019Using Lighting To Optimize Camera PerformanceA rule of thumb in imaging is that there can never be too much light. A common problem is finding enough light to clearly image a subject. Utilizing light sources in an efficient and deliberate...Photonics.com 9/1/2019Understanding Total Measurement Uncertainty in Power Meters and DetectorsIt is important that users of calibrated power meters and detectors understand the total uncertainty or error that exists in their measurements. Often, users assume that the rated calibration...Photonics.com 12/1/2018How to Design a Detector Noise Limited Instrument with PbSe DetectorsPyrometers, NDIR gas analyzers, and flame monitoring systems, often make use of MWIR photoconductive PbSe detectors. Particularly, when high sensitivity and quick response time at an affordable cost...Photonics.com 2/7/2018WEBINARSCurrent Status of Solar Photovoltaic Technology Platforms, Manufacturing Issues and ResearchQuestions, Answers & Comments from the Webinar Current Status of Solar Photovoltaic Technology Platforms, Manufacturing Issues and Research Thursday, Sept. 27, 1 p.m. EDT ...Photonics.com 9/27/2012Rare Earth Doped Fibers for use in Fiber Lasers and Amplifiers(Sponsored Content) Additional Questions and Answers from the Webinar are Detailed Below Rare Earth Doped Fibers for use in Fiber Lasers and Amplifiers The advances in...Photonics.com 11/4/2013An Overview of AFL’s Fiber Processing Software for 100-Series MachinesThis informative webinar will cover the shaping, prototyping and data collection capabilities of AFL’s Fiber Processing Software (FPS). Whether you are in the business of advanced fiber shaping...Photonics.com 2/7/2017What You Need to Know About an AM Laser’s Personality: Power Is Not the Complete StoryMost of us are familiar with the many benefits that laser-based additive manufacturing brings to manufacturing, including reduced tooling costs, easier testing of complex geometries, and faster time...Photonics.com 10/22/2019PHOTONICS DICTIONARY TERMSbloomingThe loss of focus of a camera sensor because of excessive brightness, characterized by the enlargement of spot size and halation on a cathode-ray tube.EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009polarimetryThe measurement of the rotation of the plane of polarization of radiant energy, usually through the use of a polarimeter.EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009Bernoulli termsMathematical definition for the changes that occur between potential and kinetic energy. These formulas express wave motion.EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009prelasingWhen uncontrolled laser energy leaks from a laser cavity prematurely, it causes serious damage to optical components and significant downtime for repair.EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009MEDIAPhotonics 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 2/21/2018Fundamentally 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: Weird and Strange: Quantum Photonics - 03.2018In this month's Light Matters Extra, we take you to the Quantum Photonics Laboratory at MIT run by Dr. Dirk Englund. Dr. Englund's group, the Quantum Photonics Group, is made up of postdocs and...Photonics.com 3/29/2018A 'Smart' Lighting Revolution - LIGHT MATTERS 08.2017In this episode, we take you to a U.S. National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York. Researchers there are leading the charge for "smart"...Photonics.com 8/28/2017PHOTONICS BUYERS' GUIDE CATEGORIESScintillation DetectorsPhotoacoustic DetectorsPower MetersRemote Sensing EquipmentCOMPANIESCanon U.S.A. Inc., Industrial Products Div.Applying optical and optoelectronic technologies amassed over many years, Canon provides high-value-added products to a wide range of industries. The Company is prominent globally as a manufacturer...Photonics Buyers' GuideTeledyne Judson TechnologiesTeledyne Judson Technologies (TJT) is a global leader for IR sensors from the Visible to VLWIR spectrum. Two-dimensional FPAs (InGaAs, InSb, and MCT) and Integrated Dewar Cooler Assemblies (IDCAs)...Photonics Buyers' GuideOpto Diode CorporationOpto Diode Corporation (Camarillo, CA - (www.optodiode.com), an ITW Company, delivers industry-leading sensors, photodiodes, IR detectors, photonic modules, assemblies, and LEDs. Available in...Photonics Buyers' GuideOphir, PhotonicsOphir is a brand within the MKS Instruments Light & Motion division. The Ophir product portfolio consists of laser and LED measurement products, including laser power and energy meters, laser...Photonics Buyers' Guide