One of the most promising candidates for the perfect quantum qubit are defect centres in solid-state materials, also known as colour centres, which have been found to emit a single photon per excitation event when excited by laser light of a particular frequency. An important techni
Editor's picks
Credit: The Rijksmuseum
The composite picture of The Night Watch, made of 528 exposures stitched together digitally, makes it possible to zoom in on individual brushstrokes and even particles of pigment in the painting
Luminar's lidar solution will integrate seamlessly into the roof of Volvo's future cars. (Image: Luminar)
The lidar will be seamlessly integrated into the roof of Volvo's SPA 2 modular vehicle architecture
News
The 3D printer developed at TU Graz melts metal powder using high-performance LED light sources. (Image: TU Graz)
28 May 2020
Researchers at TU Graz in Austria have developed a 3D printing process that uses a high-power LED beam to melt metal powder, instead of a laser
Credit: The Rijksmuseum
27 May 2020
The composite picture of The Night Watch, made of 528 exposures stitched together digitally, makes it possible to zoom in on individual brushstrokes and even particles of pigment in the painting
27 May 2020
Scientists have taken inspiration from the biomimicry of butterfly wings and peacock feathers to develop an innovative opal-like material that could be the cornerstone of next generation smart sensors
An illustration of lidar waves. Credit: Johann Riemensberger
27 May 2020
In a study published in Nature, researchers at the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) demonstrate a new way to speed up a type of lidar engine by using photonic circuits
Prototype of the UVC LED irradiation system with 118 LEDs. The inset shows a detail of the LED array (©FBH/P. Immerz)
27 May 2020
An LED irradiation system has been developed at the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut in Berlin that aims to kill microorganisms with ultra-short wave UV light. The researchers anticipate that the UV light emitted from their device will not be harmful to human skin
A simulation used by the researchers to help determine the impact of spatter in LPBF. (Image: LLNL)
27 May 2020
Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have developed a method for reducing – or even eliminating – defects in metal parts built via laser powder bed fusion (LPBF)
27 May 2020
Laser World of Photonics China, including the machine vision technology and application conference, is to go ahead from 3 to 5 July in Shanghai
Analysis & opinion
12 May 2020
Katarina Svanberg, professor at Sweden’s Lund University and South China Normal University, discusses her career developing optical cancer treatments, and notes why it’s important to support early-career researchers
L to R: Marc Canales, Roger Artigas, EPIC’s Ana González & Carlos Lee
12 May 2020
Jose Pozo, CTO at EPIC, talks with Roger Artigas, co-founder, president and CTO of Sensofar Metrology – a designer and manufacturer of 3D surface metrology instruments
06 May 2020
In this first installment of a two-part series, Christina Willis discusses the importance of creating a network sustainably to enable better scientific and career outcomes – even during the Covid-19 pandemic
Features
12 May 2020
Keely Portway discusses advances in photonic integrated circuit biosensors for the detection of viruses such as covid-19
11 May 2020
Greg Blackman on the filters used in point of care devices for testing for Covid-19
11 May 2020
Having helped virologists understand their subject better, optical techniques are readying for their biggest test yet, finds Andy Extance
14 April 2020
Fabricating novel light-guiding structures from glass and plastic will prove instrumental in whether augmented reality becomes an everyday technology, finds Andy Extance
Press Releases
RPMC Lasers Inc, the leading laser distributor in North America, is excited to announce an exclusive distribution agreement with mirSense (http://mirsense.com/) that will cover their Quantum Cascade Laser (QCL) product lines
Optical Surfaces Ltd. has undertaken a study to determine how microroughness impacts the performance of Aspheric lenses and mirrors
OptoSigma Corporation has announced the hiring of a new highly experienced optical coating manager
New lidar entrant SiLC has lured former Texas Instruments veteran Ralf Muenster to help expand its presence to Silicon Valley
Luxinar has established new overseas offices and technical support since it became an independent company
The prize was awarded for her outstanding master’s degree in Physics
Hamamatsu Photonics will construct a new factory building at its Shingai Factory in Hamamatsu City, Japan, in order to cope with increasing sales demand for opto-semiconductors, x-ray image sensors and x-ray flat panel sensors.
Viewpoint
3 June 2020
Dan Adams highlights the significant role that optics and photonics are playing in addressing the impact of Covid-19
13 March 2020
Can spectroscopy help make the world a better place? Benno Oderkerk, co-founder and CEO of Avantes, located in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, is convinced it can.
Tech focus
04 June 2020
US researchers have proposed a photovoltaic cell that could generate power throughout the night
A new type of PIC has been developed, the properties of which can be programmed using a combination of light and heat
30 April 2020
Researchers in the Netherlands have developed a new type of photonic integrated circuit that can be programmed using a combination of light and heat
A new simple chip powered by quantum dots allows standard microscopes to visualise difficult-to-image biological organisms.
30 March 2020
MIT researchers have developed a multi-layered chip that could dramatically reduce the cost of dark-field microscopes
Products
04 March 2020
Focuslight technologies, a global provider of high power diode lasers and micro optics, announced the LIMO Wide Angle Diffuser at SPIE Photonics West 2020. Designed for automotive LiDAR and 3D sensing applications, the LIMO Wide Angle Diffuser is a glass refractive optical element (ROE) with the ability to disperse laser light in one direction up to a full illumination angle, ranging from a few mrad up to 150 degrees. When combined with a second functional surface, the light can also be shaped at any desired angle in the other direction.
04 March 2020
Focuslight technologies, a global provider of high power diode lasers and micro optics, announced the Focuslight FocusFlux® AL01 Series LiDAR laser module at SPIE Photonics West 2020. The FocusFlux AL01 series is a high peak power, 1064nm laser module that employs a novel, compact, solid state design. It features a 1.5mJ 3ns laser pulse based on Q-switch technology. Built-in advanced glass diffusers enable it to generate a configurable field of view (FOV) of 125x25, 60x45, or customized per request.
30 January 2020
German start-up Linnowave’s Vaheat provides a novel approach for precise and rapid temperature controllability in optical high resolution microscopy of live cells
30 January 2020
Photon Lines is distributing Omicron's new LightHUB-Ultra laser light engine in France, the UK and Ireland
23 October 2019
The new Chameleon Discovery NX laser from Coherent delivers deep multiphoton microscope images with high brightness and high contrast
23 October 2019
Cobolt has introduced the Cobolt Tor XS, a high-performance Q-switched laser at 1,064nm and 532nm, with 100uJ/pulse and 50uJ/pulse respectively
23 October 2019
Gamma Scientific has released the Wavemon wavelength and power meter
Events
White papers
05 June 2020
One of the most promising candidates for the perfect quantum qubit are defect centres in solid-state materials, also known as colour centres, which have been found to emit a single photon per excitation event when excited by laser light of a particular frequency. An important technique for characterizing these colour centers is photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectroscopy, which measures the tiny optical signals produced by single-photon emitters when they are excited by continuous-wave (cw) laser light. Widely tunable cw lasers based on OPO technology make it quicker and easier to characterize the internal energy structure of different qubit contenders. This white paper presents such a suitable tunable cw laser source, outlining the advantages and illustrating examples of how this laser can be used to characterize novel colour centers.
An important technique for characterizing these colour centers is photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectroscopy, which measures the tiny optical signals produced by single-photon emitters when they are excited by continuous-wave (cw) laser light. Widely tunable cw lasers based on OPO technology make it quicker and easier to characterize the internal energy structure of different qubit contenders.
This white paper presents such a suitable tunable cw laser source, outlining the advantages and illustrating examples of how this laser can be used to characterize novel colour centers.
03 June 2020
In this application note, Edinburgh Instruments utilises a Transient Absorption Spectrometer featuring dual detector options for direct kinetic and spectral measurements to Study a Molecular Triad’s Photoinduced Electron Transfer Reactions.
29 May 2020
Controlling the quality and yield of crops will be crucial elements of increased food production. Growing crops in greenhouses and vertical farms (greenhouse factories) will allow us to better control the process of growing food and, in the case of vertical farms, move food production closer to the consumer (vertical farms can be integrated into existing structures such as warehouses). In greenhouses, LEDs are a popular lighting option to provide the spectral energy to crops for photosynthesis and other growth processes.
This whitepaper will explore how optical sensing is used for real-time monitoring of LED greenhouse lighting, and how this can be used to manage colour and power output.
Webcasts
24 March 2020
*Weds 8 Apr* This online discussion will explore the photonics technologies being developed to maximise data throughput and to extend data delivery speeds beyond 400Gbps
20 March 2020
*On demand* This webcast will present European capabilities for the development of photonic integrated circuit (PIC) biosensors for virus detection
19 March 2020
*On demand* This webinar will present an innovative UVC LED respiratory mask, presented by EPIC members and partners of the EU-funded pilot line MedPhab
