Marie Freebody, Contributing Editor, [email protected]From quantum repeaters and single-photon detectors to space satellites, photonics promises to bring quantum encryption to the mainstream. Quantum communications has already been proved possible over short distances. Via fiber optics, quantum key distribution (QKD) has been demonstrated over 250 km; for free-space transmission, the longest demonstrated distance has been more than 144 km. The problem is that experts don’t expect these distances to extend to more than a few hundred kilometers with current technologies. Essentially, the technology can go only so far before...Read full articleRelated content from Photonics MediaARTICLESToshiba Demonstrates Breakthrough in Long-distance Quantum CommunicationsToshiba’s Cambridge Research Laboratory demonstrated quantum communications over optical fibers exceeding 600 km in length. The work leverages a technique called dual-band stabilization, and it...Photonics Spectra August 2021 IssueGlass Offers Transparent Benefits to Quantum TechnologyCurrently, research on quantum technologies is enjoying a gold rush in funding. Recently published roadmaps provide researchers, industry, and funders with an outlook of what to expect from such...Photonics Spectra January 2022 IssueHollow-Core Fibers Outperform Silica Glass CounterpartsResearchers from the University of Southampton Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) have introduced three unique hollow-core fiber designs that each exhibit losses comparable to or lower than those...Photonics Spectra February 2021 IssueMarine Luminescence Appears After Stress TestNo matter how small, organisms respond to their surrounding environment. A group of scientists at the University of Cambridge has shown that the light produced by ocean organisms is related to the...Photonics.com 7/31/2020PRODUCTSFiber CleaversAFL has announced the Fujikura series of large-diameter cleavers. The CT-104+ fiber cleaver features a manual clamping system that supports 80- to 600-µm cladding diameter. The CT-105+...Photonics.com 6/30/2021Photonic Microassembly SystemThe FINEPLACER® femtoblu bonding system from Finetech GmbH & Co. KG is an automated microassembly cell for dedicated photonic production. Demanding applications benefit from a placement...Photonics.com 10/20/2020Mixed Signal OscilloscopeThe 6 Series B Mixed Signal Oscilloscope from Tektronix Inc. is designed meet the demand for high-speed data movement and processing in embedded design. The 6 Series B offers signal fidelity...Photonics.com 10/26/2020Optical TransceiversO-band nWDM QSFP28 optical transceivers from SiFotonics Technologies Co. Ltd. feature 8 × 100-G extended reach for 5G and data center applications. The 8 × 100G-ER1-nWDM enables...Photonics.com 3/22/2022PHOTONICS HANDBOOK ARTICLESOTDRs: 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 HandbookAdhesives for Fiber Optics Assembly: Making the Right Choice: Using the proper adhesive in the assembly of fiber optic components not only saves time and expense, but also can improve reliability and performance.Adhesives for fiber optic components that perform well on glass, metal, ceramic and most plastic substrates provide excellent chemical and solvent resistance. They also can act as an electrical...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 HandbookPolarization Mode Dispersion: Concepts and Measurement: The performance of high-speed, digital fiber optic communications systems depends upon how reliably the receiver is able to distinguish closely spaced bits of information. Dispersive effects — physical mechanisms that broaden transmitted pulses — degrade this process.There are three fundamentally different dispersive phenomena in optical fiber, of which polarization mode dispersion (PMD) is the most complex. In digital multimode fiber systems, a light pulse...Photonics HandbookWHITEPAPERSRecent Research Using Meadowlark Optics Spatial Light ModulatorsThis ever-evolving collection of recent research using Meadowlark Optics Spatial Light Modulators offers a brief overview of specific applications in which Meadowlark Optics’ Spatial Light Modulators...Photonics.com 9/4/2020The Application of WDM Channel Skip FiltersTelecom channel skip filters are components added to wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) add/drop modules — in both coarse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM) and dense wavelength division...Photonics.com 6/1/2021Curing of an Optical Adhesive by UV Irradiation by DSCOptical adhesives are used in many industries such as semiconductors and chip manufacturing where solvents are undesirable. Power compensated instruments are the best choice for fast analysis of the...Photonics.com 4/7/2021Specialty Fiber Preforms for Industrial ApplicationsEnabling new laser applications with fused silica fibers.Photonics.com 5/4/2022WEBINARSEuropean 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 6/30/2021Toward Global Quantum NetworksThe internet has had a revolutionary impact on our world. The vision of quantum internet — capable of transmitting quantum information — will provide novel applications that are provably...Photonics.com 8/12/2021Biophotonic 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 6/11/2015Photonics Spectra Spectroscopy Conference 2022: April 12 - 13Discover the latest trends in spectroscopy. Join us April 12-13, 2022 at the Photonics Spectra Spectroscopy Conference! The publishers of Photonics Spectra invite you to attend a free virtual...Photonics.com 4/12/2022PHOTONICS DICTIONARY TERMSdetector noise-limited operationIn optical communication systems, operations in which the amplitude of the pulses, as opposed to their width, determines the distance between repeaters.EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009dispersion-limited operationOperation in which the dispersion of a pulse limits the distance between repeaters in optical systems. Waveguide and material dispersion can make recognition of a pulse impossible.EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009photonicsThe technology of generating and harnessing light and other forms of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The science includes light emission, transmission, deflection, amplification and...EDU.photonics.com 3/22/2016hygroscopicIn fiber optics, a material whose properties, usually of transmission, are distinctly affected by the absorption of water vapor.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 2/21/2018Capasso 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 8/10/2018PIC 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 Matters Extra: Lightning Awards Luminate Rochester - 11/2017In this month's Light Matters Extra, we give you an in-depth look at the recent Luminate Lightning Awards. New York’s Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul was there and tells us why Luminate is important...Photonics.com 11/17/2017PHOTONICS BUYERS' GUIDE CATEGORIESFiber Optic RepeatersCamera Repeaters/ExtendersPlastic-Clad Silica Fiber Optic FibersA plastic-clad silica fiber optic fiber is an optical waveguide having a silica core and a plastic cladding.Fiber Optic Access NetworksCOMPANIESOhara 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' GuideMicro Laser Systems Inc.We are a manufacturer of Diffraction Limited Fiber Coupled Laser Systems, Optical Systems, and Fiber Optic Systems from 240 nm to 6000 nm. Unique products include various sizes of Fiber Collimators,...Photonics Buyers' GuidePhotonTec Berlin GmbHPhotonTec Berlin GmbH is located in the Center for Microsystems and Materials (ZMM) in Berlin-Adlershof, Germany. We focus on the development, production, and marketing of fiber-coupled diode lasers...Photonics Buyers' GuideEvanescent 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' Guide