A metamaterial has been designed with a switchable metasurface that allows it to either block or transmit light waves in response to light pulses. Developed by researchers at the University of Southampton, the optically switchable metamaterial uses the phase-change medium germanium antimony telluride (GST) to change properties, a capability that may be useful for a range of optical devices. Switchable metamaterials have previously included a metal component that is structurally engineered to provide the desired optical properties, as well as a phase change component that can be used to...Read full articleRelated content from Photonics MediaARTICLESMetasurface-Based Contact Lenses Could Correct Red-Green Color BlindnessA custom contact lens could offer a convenient way to help people who experience color blindness. Researchers at Tel Aviv University (TAU) embedded large-scale, plasmonic metasurfaces into...Photonics Spectra May 2020 IssueMetasurfaces Enable Low-Loss Integrated Photonics PlatformA University of Delaware (UD) research team has designed an integrated photonics platform using metasurfaces. To limit the loss of data, the team fabricated a high-contrast transmitarray (HCTA)-based...Photonics Spectra January 2020 IssueFabrication Technique Brings Metasurface Production CloserResearchers from Chalmers University of Technology have developed a new method of creating metasurfaces, which could bring mass production of ultrathin lenses closer to reality. Metasurfaces...Photonics Spectra August 2020 IssueFisheye Metalens Captures 180 Degree Panoramic ImagesResearchers at MIT and the University of Massachusetts Lowell have developed a wide-angle metalens capable of producing 180° panoramic images. The design could be adapted for a wide range of...Photonics Spectra December 2020 IssuePRODUCTSReflective AxiconsReflective axicons from Cailabs SAS are optics that improve Bessel beam glass-cutting processes. An axicon is a specialized type of lens with a conical surface to transform a laser beam into a...Photonics.com 7/19/2019F-Theta Battery LensAn F-theta lens for 1064-nm applications has been announced by Jenoptik AG, designed for battery laser foil cutting and high-volume serial production with ultrashort-pulse lasers. The lens...Photonics Spectra March 2021 IssueC-mount LensesMore than 20 C-mount lenses have been announced by IDS Imaging Development Systems GmbH with lens resolutions of 5, 8, and 10 MP, as well as different focal lengths and optical classes. The...Vision Spectra Spring 2021 IssueRadiotherapy LensResolve Optics Ltd. has announced a fixed-focus lens that is able to withstand long-term exposure to radiation up to a dose of 100 million radians without discoloration. The lens can withstand...Photonics Spectra July 2020 IssuePHOTONICS HANDBOOK ARTICLESCommon Lens Formulas: Formulas for lens focal length, magnification, relative aperture (f/#), object-to-image distance, object-to-lens distance, lens-to-image distance and numerical aperture.Photonics HandbookPolygonal Laser Scanners: Fitting the Elements to the Task: Polygonal laser scanning is the technology of choice in a variety of applications. It can be used to write information as in laser marking and printing, direct-to-plate imaging, film recording and laser projection; or as a reader for bar code scanning, densitometry, web inspection and agricultural inspection.Reading and writing systems for polygonal scanners differ in the use of the scanner. However, many performance characteristics are similar for both. In writing applications, a light source, usually a...Photonics HandbookCleaning Optics: Choosing the Best Method: Cleaning optical elements improves performance, providing proper materials, techniques and handling procedures are used to minimize the risk of damage.Optics can be contaminated in many ways. Contamination can be kept to a minimum by returning the optics to their case after use or by covering the optics for protection from the outside environment....Photonics HandbookOptical System Optimization: Analyzing the Effects of Stray Light: Stray light can impede the performance of any optical system. With a deeper understanding of stray light, and the right tools, optical engineers can predict and compensate for its effects in order to improve quality.Electrical engineers are very familiar with the effects of shot noise, thermal noise, flicker noise and crosstalk, and recognize how these effects can reduce the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in their...Photonics HandbookWHITEPAPERSReplacing Hard to Source and Obsolete Optical ComponentsPeriodically organisations are faced with replacing hard to source or obsolete optical components within their camera, sensor, or instrument systems. It is at this critical point that you have to...Photonics.com 5/24/2019Radiation Resistant LensesDrawing upon approaching 30 years experience — Resolve Optics has built a strong reputation for specialist lens design and manufacture of smaller production quantities of radiation resistant...Photonics.com 5/24/2019Camera-based Observation in Laser Material ProcessingCamera-based imaging enables real time observation and feedback during laser processing. This paper gives you an overview about several methods of camera-based observation to find the best solution...Photonics.com 7/1/2020100% Customized Super Precision Glass Substrate and PartsFor over 65 years, Fujitok has supplied customized precision glass substrates, aspheric lenses, and prisms with cutting-edge polishing technology. We cover various materials like optical glass, fused...Photonics.com 3/26/2021WEBINARSDevelopments 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 5/29/2013How the Metalens Will Transform Lens Technology and Everyday DevicesMetalenses — ultrathin planar lenses — represent a revolutionary step in lens design and fabrication, a technology that has remained essentially unchanged for centuries. Metalenses have...Photonics.com 5/9/2018Flat Optics Based on Metasurfaces: Molding Wavefronts and Surface WavesMetasurfaces based on subwavelength patterning have major potential for realizing arbitrary control of the wavefront of diffracted light by achieving local control of the phase amplitude and...Photonics.com 2/26/2015The 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 10/20/2011PHOTONICS DICTIONARY TERMSmetamaterialA material engineered from artificial matter not found in nature. The artificial makeup and design of metamaterials give them intrinsic properties not common to conventional materials that are...EDU.photonics.com 2/15/2013micro-opticsTiny (less than 2 mm in diameter) lenses, beamsplitters and other optical components used, for example, in endoscopes or microscopes or to focus light from semiconductor lasers and optical fibers.EDU.photonics.com 3/24/2016astronomical mirrorGenerally, a mirror used instead of lenses in astronomical and space applications. It is not limited in size, does not absorb UV or IR radiation, and is usually made aspheric to reduce aberrations....EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009Geometrical opticsThe area of optics in which the propagation of light is described by geometrical lines (or rays) governed by Fermat's Principle. Geometrical optics is useful as long as the objects in which the light...EDU.photonics.com 3/5/2018MEDIAOptical Products and Components - OPCO Laboratory Inc.From lenses to prisms, OPCO Laboratory Inc. manufactures a variety of optical products and components that can serve the needs of many applications.Photonics.com 11/11/2020Laser Munich & Portable Quantum Tech - LIGHT MATTERS 05.15.2013-Laser Munich -Portable Quantum Tech -Metamaterial bandwidth This week on Light Matters: a moon-shaped metamaterial broadens bandwidths, Laura Marshall reports from Laser World of Photonics in...Photonics.com 5/15/2013Capasso 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 8/9/2018Penn'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 CATEGORIESLaser Diode Collimating LensesLaser OpticsLaser Scanning LensesOptical MaterialsOptical materials are materials that, by virtue of their optical characteristics, are used in optical elements.COMPANIESA.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' GuideFOCtek 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' 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' 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' Guide