Highlights

(Photo: Guido Bergmann)
Even in 2020 quantum technology remained a key issue for German politics. In December, chancelor Dr. Angela Merkel was presented a photon source developed at Fraunhofer IOF for the secure communication.
Lasers & Sources

Three trends in lasers and photonics

Dec. 29, 2020
Here are three trends in lasers and photonics which we will see more often in the years to come.
(Courtesy of Andrey Andreev)
Fixed-wavelength ultrafast lasers (left) and power supplies (right) are more compact than their tunable Ti:sapphire alternatives (fixed-wavelength laser and power supply are orange; tunable are blue-green). However, for two-photon microscopy, each laser technology has its advantages and disadvantages that the researcher must carefully consider.
Lasers & Sources

Two-photon microscopy and the $100,000 question: tunable or fixed-wavelength femtosecond laser?

Nov. 17, 2020
Many biologists are unfamiliar with ultrafast laser technology, but still need to decide between tunable or fixed-wavelength lasers for their two-photon microscopy applications...
Kinetic River Potomac Flow Cytometer
Biophotonics Techniques

Kinetic River delivers custom flow cytometer to National Research Council

Nov. 9, 2020
The customized flow cytometer was installed at the National Research Council in Naples, Italy for biomedical research and water monitoring.
Trapped Biotin 50538602892 O Cropped
Biophotonics Techniques

X-ray crystallography could improve widely used molecular pairing

Oct. 28, 2020
By creating new ways to control the binding and release of the two molecules, many new lab techniques can now be developed to enable new health discoveries and improved diagnostic...
FIGURE 1. In SCAPE, a light sheet is formed at an oblique angle by off-axis illumination of the primary microscope objective with a line profile beam (a); SCAPE builds a volumetric image by scanning the light sheet while capturing a series of images of the illuminated plane (b).
Detectors & Imaging

High-resolution, multicolor 3D imaging at the speed of life

Oct. 13, 2020
An innovative laser fluorescence technique, swept confocally aligned planar excitation (SCAPE) microscopy, overcomes the limitations of earlier methods and offers broad life sciences...

Recommended

(Courtesy of Madatec Srl, Milan, Italy)
FIGURE 1. Reflectance spectra of Prussian blue (blue), synthetic lapis lazuli (green), and synthetic azurite (purple).
Spectroscopy

Spectroscopy uncovers the hidden in art and archaeology

Oct. 13, 2020
Art conservation, cultural heritage, and archaeological studies are key applications for numerous forms of spectroscopy.
The Organoid Counting Software Analyzes A Single Image In Less Than Three Seconds
Cell Biology

CytoSMART Technologies develops automated organoid counter

July 29, 2020
The automated organoid counter application detects organoids using bright-field image analysis.
Spectral angle mapping (SAM) allowed differentiation of cells imaged using hyperspectral dark-field microscopy. Cells below the threshold spectral angle are marked as positive using a green outline; cells above the threshold are marked as negative with a red outline. Isolate cell detection shows positive E. coli 157:H7 (a) and Listeria monocytogenes (b). A slide with both pathogens depict E. coli (c) at positive (48) and negative (65), and Listeria monocytogenes (d) at positive (66) and negative (47).
Detectors & Imaging

Pathogen detection with hyperspectral dark-field microscopy

July 14, 2020
Aided by deep learning, hyperspectral imaging facilitates high-speed single-cell pathogen detection with no critical volume and little prep.
The proof-of-principle hardware shown here has been converted into a compact, noninvasive device to precisely measure eye movements and correlate them with the severity of neurological disease.
Detectors & Imaging

Linking retinal function to brain disease

July 14, 2020
Video images from a reflected-light laser scan of the human retina characterize small eye movements to monitor the severity of multiple sclerosis.
Ingaas
Test & Measurement

Axiom Optics laser beam profiler has use in lab and production settings

July 4, 2020
The CinCam InGaAs laser beam profiling system can characterize beams within ISO standards in the 900 to 1800 nm range.