KASSEL, Germany, April 6, 2021 — A design from researchers at the University of Kassel aims to decrease energy consumption for lighting and temperature technologies. The smart system uses micro-optical-electro-mechanical (MOEM) micromirror arrays to regulate and steer sunlight. The system is unaffected by wind, window cleaning, and weather conditions due to a noble gas such as argon or krypton filling the space between the windowpanes. “Our smart glazing is based on millions of micromirrors, invisible to the bare eye, and reflects incoming sunlight according to user actions, sun positions, daytime, and seasons,...Read full articleRelated content from Photonics MediaARTICLESSmart Windows Self-Illuminate on Rainy DaysA joint research team has developed a technology that will allow windows to change colors according to the amount of moisture, without the need for electricity. The researchers developed a...Photonics Spectra August 2020 IssueLight Produces Electricity Where Saltwater and Freshwater MeetA group of École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) researchers has demonstrated that light can be used to optimize the production of osmotic power, or blue energy, at...EuroPhotonics Autumn 2019 IssuePrimary Mirror Completed for NASA’s Roman Space TelescopeThe Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s primary mirror has been completed, NASA announced. The telescope will have a field of view 100× greater than the Hubble Space Telescope, and it...Photonics Spectra November 2020 IssueCost-Effective Coatings for Smart Windows Rival Industry-Standard PerformanceAn inexpensive, ultrathin spray-on window coating for blocking heat and conducting electricity could further reduce energy costs for smart windows and heat-repelling glass, making smart window...Photonics Spectra October 2020 IssuePRODUCTSLightweight 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 8/4/2020Optical Mirror MountsThe MHX series of high-stability optical mirror mounts from OptoSigma Corp. are made for standard 25.4-mm mirrors. The stability holder features a hollow-frame design to provide a high moment...Photonics.com 2/27/2020Aluminum Variable Radius MirrorThe aluminum variable radius mirror from II-VI Inc. is a water-cooled device for next-generation lasers with up to 20 kW of output power. The mirror is made of aluminum, which is 80% lighter...Photonics.com 2/21/2020Laser Pre-Focusing UnitThe AXIALSCAN FIBER-30 laser pre-focusing unit from Raylase GmbH enables multi-faceted process optimization in e-mobility and additive manufacturing. Designed for fiber-couple laser...Photonics.com 7/3/2020PHOTONICS HANDBOOK ARTICLESBeryllium Mirrors: Refinements Enable New Applications: Beryllium mirrors are finding commercial applications, while maintaining their military and space applications. Refinements in design and improvements in manufacturing technology have cut costs and new coatings have enabled high-power applications allowing a three-fold increase in manufacturing process speeds and economics.With a specific gravity of 1.85 g/cm3, beryllium is the lightest metal that is workable. It is 45 percent lighter than aluminum and approximately five times as stiff. Its stiffness to weight ratio...Photonics HandbookOptical Delay Lines: Key to Time-Resolved Measurements: To obtain an accurate means of creating reliable delays in any time-resolved spectroscopy or dynamic experiment, several factors about the delay line stage must be considered to reduce or eliminate errors associated with linear stages.One of the most critical elements of any time-resolved spectroscopy and dynamics experiment is the optical delay line. A typical optical delay line consists of a retroreflector or folding mirrors on...Photonics HandbookPlastic Optics: Specifying Injection-Molded Polymer Optics: The versatility of polymer optics opens new doors for optical designers who understand the whys and hows of specifications.The use of precision polymer optics is becoming an increasing necessity today as products demand sophisticated light handling components to achieve desired results. Polymer optics can be thought of...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 HandbookWHITEPAPERSMultilayer Coating for Extreme Ultraviolet ExperimentsExtreme ultraviolet (EUV) multilayer coatings have been designed and fabricated for many kinds of experiments including high-order harmonics application. In this paper, we present recent results...Photonics.com 12/4/2020Methods for Measuring Display Defects and Mura as Correlated to Human Visual PerceptionHuman vision and perception are the ultimate determinants of display quality, however human judgment is variable, making it difficult to define and apply quantitatively in research or production...Photonics.com 1/14/2021Multispectral Array Technology - Meeting New Space Economics and ObligationsFor over 40+ years, Materion Precision Optics (formerly Barr Associates) has been providing cutting edge multispectral arrays for high end government sponsored programs (Landsat, VIIRs, etc.). By...Photonics.com 10/10/2019PFG Optics Standard and Best TolerancesA list of standard and best tolerances for PFG fabrication and AR coating.Photonics.com 2/2/2021WEBINARSOptical and Electrical Microsystems for Advanced Biomedical Imaging and DiagnosisMedical diagnosis heavily depends on innovative methods for biomedical imaging. New system concepts that combine miniaturized optical MEMS components, such as scanning mirrors and spatial light...Photonics.com 11/12/2020Techniques in Biophotonic ImagingFREE WEBINAR Sponsored by: Hamamatsu & Applied Scientific Instrumentation Additional Questions & Answers from the webinar are below: Dr. Kimani C. Toussaint Jr. Quantitative...Photonics.com 3/21/2013Solving Challenges in Defect Inspection of Advanced OpticsOptical components such as lenses, mirrors, prisms, and windows undergo tight quality control to deliver optimal optical transfer function. Any scratch, dig, chip pinhole, or other defect will...Photonics.com 9/23/2019Holography for Display: From AR to HUD to 3DThis webinar will discuss the technology of holographic optical elements and their use in display systems where the size and weight of optics must be constrained. While a true holographic...Photonics.com 6/12/2018PHOTONICS DICTIONARY TERMSsolar laserA laser pumped by solar radiation focused by mirrors.EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009solar furnaceAn optical system that is designed to produce a high temperature in a specified area by the optical direction and concentration of solar radiation on that area. The system usually consists of a...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 3/5/2018plastic opticsThe integration of plastic materials into optical applications. When the materials are refined into lenses, prisms and mirrors, they serve the purpose of glass optics at a lower cost and a...EDU.photonics.com 3/24/2016MEDIALight Matters Extra: Optics & Photonics Technology Program, STCC - 09.2017In this month’s Light Matters Extra, we take you to the Springfield Technical Community College campus and introduce you to Professor Nick Massa, who has been teaching Optics and Photonics there for...Photonics.com 9/28/2017Light Matters Extra: Optifab 2017 - 10.2017In this month's Light Matters Extra, we give you an in-depth look at North America's largest optical fabrication exhibition and show – Optifab 2017. 188 companies filled the showroom floor of the...Photonics.com 10/26/2017Fundamentally 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: styropyro - 02.2018In this month's Light Matters Extra, we introduce you to Drake Anthony, aka styropyro. Drake, 25, has been building his own lasers since he was 12 years old. He's got quite the following on his...Photonics.com 2/21/2018PHOTONICS BUYERS' GUIDE CATEGORIESDeformable MirrorsFlat Optical-Quality MirrorsFreeform OpticsAstronomical OpticsCOMPANIESLaCroix 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' GuideA.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' GuideMLD Technologies LLCExperts In Thin-film Coating Design We practice a design-before-quote approach to help customers refine specifications and minimize technical risk. We understand how coated optical elements...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' Guide