Video: December 8, 2023 Photonics Hot List

In this episode, we cover a microscopy method that hits uncharted cell territory, drone-based imaging for solar farm inspection, soliton microcombs that boost conversion efficiency, and the SPIE Startup Challenge finalists.

Justine Murphy

Dec. 8, 2023

2 min read

In this episode of Photonics Hot List...

Embarking on uncharted territory, researchers in Scotland are discovering more of what’s really happening within live cells. Using stimulated Raman scattering microscopy, together with spectral phasor analysis, they can now acquire clearer images of individual cell processes in a shorter span of time.

With environmental sustainability efforts—that involve accurate inspection of solar cell and photovoltaic facilities—in mind, a collaborative team of researchers in France and Denmark is taking to the skies to address limitations of existing inspection methods. And they’re doing it with a drone-based technique they’ve developed called laser-induced photoluminescence imaging.

Making significant improvements to soliton microcombs is allowing researchers in Sweden to break longstanding barriers and long-assumed fundamental limits of optical conversion efficiency. This could greatly expand high-performance laser technology into all kinds of markets, from environmental sensing drones to artificial intelligence.

SPIE has announced the 2024 finalists in its annual Startup Challenge competition. From a pool of seven, the top three will be chosen by a panel of judges that’s comprised of photonics industry venture capitalists and business development experts. The finalists will present their innovations during the Photonics West trade show and conference next month.

About the Author

Justine Murphy

Multimedia Director, Digital Infrastructure

Justine Murphy is the multimedia director for Endeavor Business Media's Digital Infrastructure Group. She is a multiple award-winning writer and editor with more 20 years of experience in newspaper publishing as well as public relations, marketing, and communications. For nearly 10 years, she has covered all facets of the optics and photonics industry as an editor, writer, web news anchor, and podcast host for an internationally reaching magazine publishing company. Her work has earned accolades from the New England Press Association as well as the SIIA/Jesse H. Neal Awards. She received a B.A. from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.