Optical component and instrument developer Optical Surfaces Ltd. has been selected by Hensoldt Optronics GmbH to supply key precision optics for optical testing the Ganymede Laser Altimeter (GALA), one of 10 scientific instruments on board the Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer (JUICE) mission. The JUICE mission is part of the European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) cosmic vision program with the objective to study Jupiter’s plasma environment and the three icy moons Ganymede, Europa, and Calisto. The JUICE spacecraft will be launched in 2022 on an Ariane 5 rocket. After its eight-year...Read full articleRelated content from Photonics MediaARTICLESRobust Laser Technology Will Enable Satellite to Measure Greenhouse GasThe MERLIN satellite, a collaboration between DLR RfM in Germany and CNES in France, will use a radar-like laser system to measure the methane concentration in Earth’s atmosphere. The...Photonics.com 7/30/2020Laser-Based Fusion Energy Startup Closes Funding Round: Week in Brief: 04/22/22EX-Fusion, a startup aimed at commercializing laser-based fusion energy, closed a pre-seed round funding of ¥130 million ($1 million). The round was led by ANRI, a Tokyo-based venture capital...Photonics.com 4/22/2022Chromacity, Heriot-Watt Collaborate on Research, Commercialization InitiativesUltrafast laser manufacturer Chromacity and Heriot-Watt University have formalized a five-year partnership, enhancing the collaborators’ existing relationship. The agreement positions...Photonics Spectra March 2021 IssuePartnership to Launch SYLOS3 Laser SystemThe Extreme Light Infrastructure Attosecond Light Pulse Source (ELI-ALPS) facility, a European research center aimed at providing the international research community with exceptional laser pulses...Photonics Spectra March 2021 IssuePRODUCTSAthermalized Beam CollimatorOptical Surfaces Ltd. has announced an athermalized beam collimator design to deliver stable, high performance across a wide temperature range. The collimators are based on a modified off-axis...Photonics Spectra February 2022 IssueOff-Axis ParaboloidsOff-axis paraboloids from Optical Surfaces Ltd. can maximize power density at the focus of Petawatt laser beamlines. Off-axis paraboloids offer unobstructed aperture and access to the focal...Photonics Spectra December 2021 IssueLightweight MirrorsLightweight mirror design techniques from Optical Surfaces Ltd. can reduce the weight of a mirror by as much as 60%. Lightweight mirrors are designed to provide sufficient rigidity to ensure...Photonics.com 8/4/2020Beam ExpandersThe A1-Series of Reflective Beam Expanders from Optical Surfaces Ltd. features an output clear aperture of 75 mm and a selection of magnifications, which are designed for researchers requiring high...Photonics Spectra September 2021 IssuePHOTONICS HANDBOOK ARTICLESAcousto-Optic Devices: Charts showing the characteristics of acousto-optic scanning devices, acousto-optic figures of merit, and solutions for common problems with acousto-optic processor devices.ACOUSTO-OPTIC SCANNING DEVICES: CHARACTERISTICS MODULATORS Material Bandwidth (MHz) Rise Time (ns) Acousto Input Power (W) (Saturation) Material Wavelength Range...Photonics HandbookWhat Is Photonics?: An overview and brief history of photonics technology and its applicationsPhotonics is the study of light and other types of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The impact of photonics on research, technology, navigation, culture, astronomy, forensics, and...Photonics HandbookDigital Still Cameras: The Changing Face of Imaging: The digital camera reflects a sea change in the compact camera market. While the 20th was the century of film cameras, the 21st belongs to the digital camera.The digital camera represents an integration of optics, mechanics and electronics consisting of three layers (Figures 1a, b and c). The top and the middle layers are printed circuit boards (PCBs),...Photonics HandbookRules of ThumbPhotonics Rules of Thumb Scientists and engineers tend to want to answer simple relational questions with a blackboard covered with equations, even when questioners just want a rough estimate to...Photonics HandbookWHITEPAPERSIntroduction to Optical ReplicationOptical replication is a method of re-producing a reflective surface with the identical surface figure and optical performance of a master part. This process facilitates low- to large-volume...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 1/14/2021Automated Solutions for SAE Standard HUD MeasurementHead-up display (HUD) technology is one of the largest growth areas in the automotive market, and standard measurement criteria are rapidly being defined to evaluate augmented projections for visual...Photonics.com 1/14/2021Optical DomesThe optical dome consists of two parallel optical surfaces (convex and concave). In general, we can control the parallel tolerance by ±2 µm. A perfectly parallel surface (in imaging) the image is not...Photonics.com 2/28/2022WEBINARSEuropean Photonics Manufacturing Services Funded by ECThis event is supported by the European initiatives presented and is moderated by EPIC, the European Photonics Industry Consortium. The European Commission is helping companies access the...Photonics.com 6/30/2021New Optics Drawings StandardsJoin us for a FREE webinar! Dave Aikens, the leader of the project to adopt ISO 10110 as an American National Standard, will provide an introduction of OP1.0110, the American National Standard for...Photonics.com 6/30/2016Freeform Surfaces: Resolving Manufacturing ChallengesLenses with higher degrees of freedom, such as aspheres and especially freeform surfaces, offer tremendous advantages to the design of optical systems. 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On optical surfaces it usually denotes aging.EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009optical cementA permanent, transparent, and highly transmissive adhesive capable of withstanding extreme temperatures that is applied to optical surfaces for the purpose of cementing, or the sticking together of...EDU.photonics.com 3/5/2018microdensitometerThe fundamental tool of microdensitometry, the microdensitometer is an instrument used for the precise measurement of microscopic optical densities (i.e. optical absorption) by detection of faint...EDU.photonics.com 7/14/2021grinding toolA tool of cast iron or another suitable medium used with a slurry of silicon carbide, aluminum oxide or emery for grinding optical surfaces.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 2/21/2018Tech 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 6/19/2018PIC Fundamentals, Design at Heart of AIM Photonics Summer AcademyStudents from large and small size companies and bigger Department of Defense affiliates of the AIM Photonics Institute took part in the recent AIM Photonics Summer Academy at MIT. This was the third...Photonics.com 7/30/2018Light 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 BUYERS' GUIDE CATEGORIESFreeform OpticsAngular and Linear Measuring InterferometersScatterometersA scatterometer is an instrument used to determine the absolute or relative scatter levels of optical surfaces.Slicing and Cutting Services For Crystals, Quartz, Glass, etc.COMPANIESFOCtek 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' 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' 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' GuideShanghai Optics Inc.Shanghai Optics is a leading manufacturer of advanced optical components and optical assemblies. Shanghai Optics is an unparalleled custom optical solution provider offering custom optical design and...Photonics Buyers' Guide