• Stephen J. Matthews

    Contributing Editor

    Stephen J. Matthews was a Contributing Editor for Laser Focus World.

    FIGURE 1. This view of the northern ice cap of Mars is constructed using elevation data from an on-board laser altimeter together with photographs taken by the Mars Global Surveyor, now in orbit. The ice cap is about 1200 km wide with an average depth of 1 km.
    Advances in CCD technology have allowed satellite images to greatly improve in spatial and spectral resolution.
    Jan. 1, 2004
    FIGURE 1. Profilometers based on CCD arrays can provide real-time displays of 3-D beam profiles.
    Accurately determining laser beam diameter and divergence requires a clear understanding of the principles of measurement.
    Oct. 1, 2002
    FIGURE 1. The small size and flexible design of holographic gratings enable modern compact spectrometers. Instruments such as these are used in applications as varied as the colorimetry of LEDs for illumination to the characterization of optical networks.
    Familiar to the Chinese for centuries, the dispersion of sunlight by a prism was shown by Isaac Newton in the 17th Century to result from the wave nature of light.
    Aug. 1, 2002