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    • Volume 51, Issue 06

    More content from Volume 51, Issue 06

    1506 Lfw Nb 1
    A VCSEL-based illuminator unveiled by Princeton Optronics emits 108 kW of optical power at a 1064 nm wavelength.
    June 1, 2015
    (Image credit: Keysight Technologies)
    Absorption lines from an acetylene (12C2H2) gas cell are acquired at a 200 nm/s sweep speed (a) and compared to known values (b, according to NIST SRM 2517a); less than ± 1 pm deviation of the measured center wavelengths is possible using the 81606A tunable laser.
    A newly developed tunable laser is capable of subpicometer tuning repeatability, even at full sweeping speeds up to 200 nm/s.
    June 1, 2015
    (Courtesy of Coherent)
    Cross sections of 0.7-mm-thick Corning CT24 glass are taken with a Nomarski differential interference contrast microscope. The piece cut with a CO2 laser shows residual stress (a), while the cut produced with the CO laser is defect-free (b).
    Coherent has unveiled a CO laser designed for materials-processing applications such as glass cutting, among other uses.
    June 1, 2015
    Detection heads for LIF measurements are shown performing simultaneous inspection of the upper and lower surface of a coil material with a width of up to 2 m. The results for a scan of a complete coil surface (upside and downside) demonstrate the quantitative results of the lubrication measurement in a false color scale. Dry areas of more than 15 mm are detected and indicated in red.
    Time-integrated laser-induced fluorescence, or LIF(t), spectroscopy is particularly beneficial for lubricant surface analysis.
    June 1, 2015
    Frequency-doubled light from a superoscillatory nonlinear optical crystal has a narrower spectral linewidth than that from a conventional periodically poled crystal. Here, an experimental crystal has two channels: super-oscillatory, and conventional periodically poled (the control channel).
    Frequency conversion of laser light is a very common application for nonlinear optical crystals.
    June 1, 2015
    (Image credit: CLARITY project)
    Mid-IR integrated components are fabricated on a chip (a) and telluride optical fibers operate at mid-IR wavelengths (b), thanks to advances by teams of researchers working on the CLARITY project.
    Continuously increasing interest in silicon photonics has inspired investigation of CMOS-compatible technologies for the mid-IR.
    June 1, 2015
    (Courtesy of FrinGOe)
    A working prototype of FrinGOe demonstrates the miniature spectrometer adapted to work on an Apple iPhone 5S (a). Although the prototype covers the iPhone camera even while not in use, next-generation versions will allow the spectrometer element to be slid aside when not in use, allowing the phone’s camera to be used conventionally. A spectral scan of a fluorescent lamp (b) across most of the visible spectrum shows characteristic peaks.
    A scientific-grade, FTIR-based add-on spectrometer can be easily adapted for use with a mobile phone or a Raspberry Pi camera.
    June 1, 2015
    Robert Alfano
    We spoke with Dr. Robert Alfano on his important role in advancing women and minorities in science and technology.
    June 1, 2015
    Conard Mug 2011c
    Although these past 50 years of media change were unimaginable, we have continued our mission to cover a wide variety of subjects.
    June 1, 2015
    On behalf of The Optical Society, congratulations to the staff on the 50th anniversary of Laser Focus World.
    June 1, 2015
    1506 Lfw Mi
    The United States Senate Armed Services Committee requested comment from the OSA concerning the perceived lethargy in U.S. development of high-energy lasers with military applications...
    June 1, 2015
    (Courtesy of Edmund Optics)
    Complex aspheric surface profiles can greatly reduce or eliminate many aberrations in spherical-lens optical systems.
    Manufacturing processes including CNC polishing, precision glass molding, or hybrid aspherizing are combined with inspection and testing techniques to integrate aspheres into ...
    June 1, 2015
    FIGURE 1. An active vibration isolation setup for a sensitive system with mass m consists of a passive spring k, a damper d, a force generating element A, a sensor, and a control circuit-in this case, a velocity feedback (a). With active damping, the resonance of the undamped system can be reduced beyond the effect of passive damping as indicated in the transmissibility plot. The green area below 0 dB indicates the amount of isolation in comparison to a rigid connection (b).
    The integration of multifunctional elements can offer reduced complexity and more compact, cost-effective vibration control designs.
    June 1, 2015
    FIGURE 1. The absorption spectrum is shown for standard optical and low-absorption single-crystal diamond grades. Also shown are wavelengths available using a diamond Raman laser to shift the fundamental and two harmonics of a Nd:YAG laser.
    Single-crystal diamond enables improved Raman frequency shifting of high-power laser systems.
    June 1, 2015
    FIGURE 1. CD (a) and percent (b) change for a 38 nm contact hole structure are shown as a function of E95 bandwidth.
    Studies identify pattern sensitivities to changes in the bandwidth, wavelength, and energy stability of the light source.
    June 1, 2015
    FIGURE 1. An optically stabilized diode-laser transmitter made by American Laser (Goleta, CA) could transmit to or from a moving vehicle through the air.
    Detector technology has come a long way in the past half-century.
    June 1, 2015
    LASER World of Photonics takes place at the Messe München fairgrounds, outside of Munich.
    The place to be in June is Munich, where the industry gathers to network, see new products and solutions, and learn about the latest photonics technologies and applications.
    June 1, 2015
    Barbaragoode2
    Of the eight plenary sessions at the 2015 Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO; May 10-15, San Jose, CA), four focused on bioimaging.
    June 1, 2015
    FIGURE 1. Laser pulses evaporate an absorption layer locally; the vapor pressure propels subjacent biomaterial—cells embedded in hydrogel—as a liquid jet toward the receiver substrate. The jet lasts a few hundred microseconds, but a droplet remains (a). The microscopic image (b) shows droplets with fluorescent cells.
    A laser forward transfer method for printing living cells provides resolution and cell densities sufficient for tissue formation.
    June 1, 2015
    Baris Ozbay examines the tiny laser-scanning microscope.
    A tiny, laser-scanning microscope designed to peer deep into a living brain is the product of neuroscientists and bioengineers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus...
    June 1, 2015
    Creation of calibration slides involves using a complex laser lithography technique to etch complex 2D and 3D structures—such as this double helix—within custom-designed photosensitive glass.
    Quantitative fluorescence microscopy is beginning to open new research opportunities in biosciences.
    June 1, 2015
    (Images [b] and [c] courtesy of Design Edge Ltd.)
    Operation of the TB Breathalyzer is simple and fast: First, the patient coughs into the collection tube (a), which the technician then twists (b) and inserts into the optical reader (c). The reader takes just two minutes to display the result.
    Tuberculosis (TB) is on the rise, and traditional technologies are not up to the task of containing this fast-spreading disease. But a fast, robust, and low-cost optical system...
    June 1, 2015
    (Courtesy of Adam Packer, Häusser lab, University College London)
    Optogenetics microscopy setup: A ytterbium fiber laser (Coherent Fidelity), which is used primarily for photoactivation, is used in conjunction with a tunable ultrafast laser (Coherent Chameleon; background).
    The desire of optogenetics researchers to stimulate and probe a higher number of neurons in larger volumes with improved specificity—and at single-neuron resolution—is driving...
    June 1, 2015