TOKYO, March 14, 2019 — A multiplexer/demultiplexer module based on an optical vortex, built by scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology, could be used to strengthen optical networks so they can meet increasingly heavy traffic demands. The multiplexing/demultiplexing module fabricated (a,d) employs a property of light called the optical vortex to transmit and receive multiple signals simultaneously through a shared optical medium. The required light waves with different optical vortexes are generated using a combination of a star coupler (b) and an optical-vortex generator (c). Courtesy of the Optical...Read full articleRelated content from Photonics MediaARTICLESCommemorating 30 Years of Optical VorticesThirty years ago, Pierre Coullet et al. proposed that a special optical field exists in laser cavities bearing some similarity with the superfluid vortex. This observation was the first indicator...Photonics.com 11/6/2019Multidimensional Quantum Communications with Legacy FibersIn a new “twist” on quantum communication using optical fiber, researchers from the University of Witwatersrand (Wits) and Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) have...Photonics.com 1/28/2020Microgears Made from Germanium Generate Twisted LightMiniature gears made from germanium have demonstrated the ability to generate light with orbital angular momentum (OAM). This new light source could be used to boost the amount of data that can be...Photonics.com 12/31/2018New Metahologram Design CreatedA multifunctional meta-hologram design, developed by researchers at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), can be used to create different hologram images depending on the direction...Photonics Spectra April 2020 IssuePRODUCTSDirect Attach Copper Cables25G Direct Attach Copper (DAC) Cables from Efylink Technology Co. Ltd. provide connectivity from top-of-rack switches to servers, disk or flash storage, and network appliances. The small-form...Photonics.com 5/11/2020Deposition MaterialsSilicon Dioxide (SiO2) granules and sputtering targets from Shanghai Spark Advanced Material Co. Ltd. are deposition materials for glass, flat panel displays, data storage, and photovoltaic...Photonics.com 11/29/2019Rugged GPU ComputerThe GM-1000 rugged GPU computer from Cincoze Ltd. is powered by eighth- and ninth-generation Intel® CPUs, supporting one MXM GPU module expansion. The GPU computer provides high-performance...Photonics.com 6/26/2020Spectrum AnalyzerThe MS9740B Spectrum Analyzer from Anritsu Corp. has been developed for evaluating the output characteristics of optical active devices used by optical communications systems. The MS9740B keeps...Photonics Spectra June 2019 IssuePHOTONICS HANDBOOK ARTICLESFiber Optics: Understanding the Basics: Nothing has changed the world of communications as much as the development and implementation of optical fiber. This article provides the basic principles needed to work with this technology.Optical fibers are made from either glass or plastic. Most are roughly the diameter of a human hair, and they may be many miles long. Light is transmitted along the center of the fiber from one end...Photonics HandbookPhotonics Packaging: Optical Communication ComponentsAn examination of the packaging technology of photonic components for optical communication and other areas of photonics. Photonic components are key elements for the information technology (IT)....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 HandbookSpectrum Analysis for DWDM: New Instruments Meet the Challenge: The demand for bandwidth drives a growing need for a new breed of test and measurement instruments.As system and cable installers try to optimize their links, the preferred method has become high-speed DWDM. This demand for bandwidth has led to the development of new test and measurement...Photonics HandbookWHITEPAPERSHow OFDR is Redefining Optical Component CharacterizationModern optical networks require ever higher-speeds and the associated optical and electronic systems must be smaller and less power-hungry. This need has driven major investments in new component...Photonics.com 4/13/2020Multi-line Lasers Simplify Biomedical ImagingThe introduction of multi-line lasers to fluorescence instrumentation provides a compact, easy-to-use, and service-free solution for integrating up to four laser wavelengths with reliable, stable...Photonics.com 11/13/2019Optimal Lighting Design Boosts Efficiency of Medical Diagnostic InstrumentsWhen it comes to clinical diagnoses, light is the key to prediction accuracy and to making progress in analytical quality. However, light is not always simply light. “What really makes the difference...Photonics.com 10/1/2018Annular Heating of Optical Fiber with a CO2 Laser Using Reflective Axicon ElementsBy offsetting the light structure, precise localized zone heating and annealing of specific areas at a fiber’s surface can be achieved as well. This is essentially a passive device into which active...Photonics.com 2/1/2020WEBINARSLaser Transmitters for Fiber Optic CommunicationsFREE WEBINAR Dr. Hamid Hemmati Supervisor, Optical Communications Group Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology In this talk, Dr. Hemmati will cover...Photonics.com 3/28/2013CMOS-Integrated Nanophotonics Technologies for Short-Reach Communications LinksJoin us for a FREE webinar! CMOS-integrated nanophotonics (CINP) has the potential to bring traditional semiconductor industry efficiency and low-cost manufacturing to single-mode, short-reach...Photonics.com 1/28/2016Biophotonic 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 6/11/2015Accelerating the Commercialization of New Optics, Photonics, and Imaging TechnologiesStartups often can’t find the funding or the right resources to bring emerging technologies to market. This webinar will take an in-depth look at how the Luminate Accelerator is addressing...Photonics.com 9/5/2019PHOTONICS DICTIONARY TERMScoherent communicationsA fiber optic communications system that works on the principles of homodyning or heterodyning. The transmitting laser produces an optical wave that is modulated in amplitude, phase or frequency by...EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009mutual coherent function (MCF)A function that quantifies the performance degradation of coherent communications systems, imaging systems and all systems that rely on the spot size of a laser beam that has propagated along an...EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009wavelength division multiplexing (WDM)A system that allows the transmission of more than one signal over a common path, by assigning each signal a different frequency band. Also known as frequency division multiplexing.EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009basebandThe simplest method of transmission on a local area network. The entire bandwidth of the cable is used to transmit a single unmodulated digital signal. Baseband transmission is capable of...EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009MEDIAPIC 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 7/30/2018Capasso Group's Optical Harmonic Combs Could Operate as THz SourceResearchers at Harvard's John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have discovered a new phenomenon of quantum cascade laser frequency combs, which would allow the devices to...Photonics.com 8/10/2018Photonics 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 2/21/2018Binding Light in Optics and Photonics - LIGHT MATTERS 11.2017Tune into this month's edition of Light Matters for 'Part 1' of an exclusive interview with SPIE CEO, Eugene Arthurs, as he speaks about his upcoming retirement. We’ll also take you to Rochester,...Photonics.com 11/17/2017PHOTONICS BUYERS' GUIDE CATEGORIESOptical MultiplexersDigital Transmission SystemsInfrared Fiber Optic FibersPhase MasksCOMPANIESEvanescent Optics Inc.Evanescent Optics Inc. acquired the assets and employee group of Canadian Instrumentation & Research Ltd. in August 2009 and continues production and development of the suite of fiber optic...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' Guideart photonics GmbHart photonics GmbH is the world's leading manufacturer of unique fiber optics for mid IR-range, pioneering the patented technology of Polycrystalline PIR-fibers and assembling a variety of specialty...Photonics Buyers' GuideLambda Research Optics Inc. (USA)Lambda Research Optics, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of laser optics with high power thin-film coatings and high precision fabrications. Lambda serves a wide range of industries, such as Biotech,...Photonics Buyers' Guide