Hamamatsu promotes photons
In November, Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. (Hamamatsu City, Japan) held its Photon Fair for the first time in nine years. Research prototypes exhibited included intelligent vision systems with a response of 1 ms (the goal is to develop a system on a chip), as well as a prototype optical-tomography system for detecting tumors in the brain or breast. This last work builds on new algorithms developed by Hamamatsu researchers for detecting paths taken by photons in various media. Tumors, for example, demand more blood and will scatter photons differently than other tissues. Another project in the soon-to-be-marketed category was a flat-panel photomultiplier tube with a thickness of 10 mm or less. The new tube can detect photons in just 3 ns, down from the current 60 ns required by a standard 127-mm tube. Although the company is experiencing a drop in revenues related to the Japanese recession, it estimates sales were down by only a few percent for the Japanese market, which accounts for 70% of the firm`s global output. As evidenced by the range of new developments at the fair, R&D is the hot spot, with the company reporting an 8% increase in sales from the R&D group over last year.