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Episode 88 of Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast features Barry Silverstein, director of the University of Rochester Center for eXtended Reality.
Credit: Scintil Photonics
DWDM CPO advantages.
Credit: Alù and Cotrufo
FIGURE 1. Schematic of the functionality of the team’s metasurface (left), and a scanning electron microscope image of the device.
Credit: Mortiz Gittinger
Daniel Timmer (front) and Moritz Gittinger in the lab working on the 2DES setup.
Iftikhar Alam/Vecteezy
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Learning Resources

Courtesy of Avantier Inc
Case Study: Custom Germanium Lens Production for Low-Visibility Applications
Project Background: Germanium Lens for Low-Visibility Applications A client approached us to develop a custom germanium lens designed for use in low-visibility environments...
Feb. 2, 2026
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Sponsored
Explore how deep learning is transforming computational microscopy—from virtual histological staining to fast, low‑cost sensing. See how AI is redefining biomedical imaging. Register...
March 26, 2026
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A Fixed Focal Length Lens Solution for Helicopter Aerial Photography Lens
When aircraft such as helicopters or drones operate in turbulent, vibration-rich environments, capturing sharp, stable, high-resolution images becomes a true test of optical engineering...
Dec. 5, 2025
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Sponsored
Discover how to design and analyze sophisticated optical waveguides using COMSOL Multiphysics® in this hands-on webinar. Learn how to build complex structures, evaluate mode fields...
Jan. 29, 2026

Podcast

Lasers/Sources

Credit: TOPTICA Photonics
FIGURE 1. Illustration of tunable diode lasers and adjacent technologies manufactured by TOPTICA Photonics for quantum applications, along with wavelength coverage and available output powers.
By leveraging tunable diode lasers and a synergetic combination of public and private investments and partnerships, the industry can speed development and adoption of photonic...
Jan. 28, 2026
Credit: KAIST
(L-R) Junyong Choi, Woonsong Jeong, Jungwon Kim, and Jihoon Baek inside the antenna receiver room at KVN Pyeongchang radio telescope.
Researchers apply the precision of optical frequency combs to radio telescopes to synchronize the observation timing and phase of faint cosmic signals—and lay the foundation for...
Jan. 27, 2026
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LFW’s editorial board shares their quick thoughts about the most intriguing things they saw happen within the optics/photonics/quantum realm in 2025, as well as emerging trends...
Dec. 26, 2025
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Here's a look back at the 10 most-popular articles we published in 2025.
Dec. 22, 2025

Optics

Traditional optics are fixed in functionality. The future is programmable optics, where a single chip can be programmed with any optical function.
Active metasurfaces are ushering in a new era of programmable optics.
Jan. 30, 2026
Credit: Osaka Metropolitan University
Spin size affects the way the system behaves. At spin-1/2, fully quantum spins pair up and cancel each other out (no magnetism). Spins >1/2 create magnetic order (magnetism).
Researchers discover a single quantum parameter—the size of its spin—acts as a switch that flips its magnetism. This discovery offers a new way to think about how quantum states...
Jan. 29, 2026
Credit: Bernard Lee
FIGURE 1. Drivers of the optical network evolution.
How can we unlock the full potential of optical networks? Critical innovations are emerging, but closing technical, commercial, and operational gaps will require focused industry...
Jan. 23, 2026
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Episode 86 of Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast features Mario Paniccia, CEO and cofounder of silicon photonics startup ANELLO Photonics.
Jan. 13, 2026

Quantum

Credit: Purdue University/Kevin Crisp
Professor Vladimir Shalaev with the team’s optical setup. Credit: Purdue University/Kevin Crisp
Purdue University researchers demonstrate a photonic transistor at single-photon intensities—and solve a long-standing roadblock to photonic computing.
Dec. 19, 2025
Credit: Alex Demkov
A 200-mm barium titanate (BaTiO3) wafer from La Luce Cristallina.
AI, quantum computing, and ultralow-power networking are poised to transform the technology ecosystem, and barium titanate offers a pathway to industrial scalability.
Dec. 18, 2025
Credit: University of Applied Sciences Biberach (https://p-inst.com/life-science)
Widefield microscope image of a DAPI-stained mouse head; sagittal plane: 4x, 0.2 NA.
Recent advances in photonics are revolutionizing life sciences by enabling unprecedented precision for imaging, surgical procedures, and diagnostics.
Dec. 17, 2025
Credit: Photonic Inc.
Silicon T center structure.
Scaling “up and out” is driving a wave of innovation in quantum photonics because the interplay between qubit platforms and photonic integration is central to system design.
Dec. 15, 2025

Test/Measurement

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Laser Focus World announces the winners of its 2025 annual Innovators Awards program.
Dec. 17, 2025
Credit: Capt. Ray Jourdain, Ice Pilots, Canada
FIGURE 1. Icing accumulating on deck due to prow spray.
Work is underway to develop a standardized sea spray LiDAR system that works with artificial intelligence to deliver real-time data and early warnings to shipmasters about icing...
Dec. 11, 2025
Credit: North Carolina State University
The new spectrometer is just a few square millimeters in size, but sensitive enough to accurately measure a broader range of wavelengths than is currently possible with conventional technologies.
A miniature spectrometer that could fit onto a smartphone shows promise for a wide range of applications—from biomedical diagnostics to manufacturing.
Dec. 5, 2025
Credit: Enablence Technologies
FIGURE 1. Flash (a) vs. scan (b) LiDAR.
Solid-state frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) LiDAR systems integrate scanning, modulation, and detection directly into a single device—and it’s why costs are dropping...
Nov. 28, 2025

Detectors/Imaging

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Episode 85 of Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast features Craig Bandes, president and CEO of Pixelligent Technologies.
Jan. 6, 2026
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Episode 80 of Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast features Part Two of our interview with Dr. Aydogan Ozcan, Chancellor's Professor at UCLA and HHMI Professor at Howard...
Dec. 2, 2025
Credit: Champalimaud Foundation
The team’s AI-assisted autofluorescence lifetime imaging setup accurately differentiates malignant from benign tissue in real time.
With its ability to accurately differentiate malignant from benign tissue in real time, an AI-assisted autofluorescence lifetime imaging technique is poised to help improve cancer...
Nov. 27, 2025
Credit: Mikael Nyberg
Part of the team’s reflectivity k-space setup. Credit: Mikael Nyberg
You bet—and these photodiodes provide tunability and record-level sensitivity for ultrathin devices.
Nov. 26, 2025

Executive Forum

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Jan. 13, 2026
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Dec. 23, 2025
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Dec. 16, 2025
Credit: CCraft
Processing of lithium niobate wafers.
Dec. 8, 2025