Optics

Launching the Optical Engineering Exchange

Oct. 13, 2016

This month, we begin our rollout of a new resource helping engineers to solve problems and understand issues related to optical components and subsystems.

Conard Holton

This month, we begin our rollout of a new resource helping engineers to solve problems and understand issues related to optical components and subsystems. Optical Engineering Exchange begins here, in this issue (and in future issues) with two articles:

How to apply laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) test techniques (see page 25)
Understanding key design principles of antireflection coatings (see page 31)

But there's far more to it than these articles. We have also created a dedicated topic area on our website under the Optics Topic Center (see http://bit.ly/2dbRslt), where you will find dozens of selected how-to articles (new and from our archives), tutorial videos, webcasts, and white papers, all organized around five topic areas:

Optical design, tolerancing, and fabrication
System discussions
Optical coating design, fabrication, and use
Optics practice and usage
Peripherals

There is also a new moderated community forum, running on the industry-standard vBulletin software, where these topics and more are reflected, and where members can ask questions, comment, and provide help: https://oex.laserfocusworld.com.

We have created the Optical Engineering Exchange in response to a survey of the optics community and subsequent discussions with component and software vendors, engineers, and system integrators. It becomes part of our long-standing goal of providing solutions to engineers and other technical professionals in photonics.

To manage it, we turned to senior editor John Wallace, a former optical engineer himself (MS, University of Rochester). He has been getting a great response by asking our reader base to help identify the pain points that everyone faces.

We have made a long-term commitment to the Optical Engineering Exchange, and we expect that the continual addition of new articles, webcasts, white papers, and video will provide a deep reservoir of reference and aid to engineers working in precision optics. Similarly, we expect our community forum to become the go-to place for questions and answers.

Finally, please let us know what you think and what you would like to see in Optical Engineering Exchange by e-mailing John Wallace ([email protected]).

About the Author

Conard Holton | Editor at Large

Conard Holton has 25 years of science and technology editing and writing experience. He was formerly a staff member and consultant for government agencies such as the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and the International Atomic Energy Agency, and engineering companies such as Bechtel. He joined Laser Focus World in 1997 as senior editor, becoming editor in chief of WDM Solutions, which he founded in 1999. In 2003 he joined Vision Systems Design as editor in chief, while continuing as contributing editor at Laser Focus World. Conard became editor in chief of Laser Focus World in August 2011, a role in which he served through August 2018. He then served as Editor at Large for Laser Focus World and Co-Chair of the Lasers & Photonics Marketplace Seminar from August 2018 through January 2022. He received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, with additional studies at the Colorado School of Mines and Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.