How to select a beam profiler to match your application

From the research laboratory to the factory floor, beam-profiling systems are available to speed laser development and production.

Awareness raises options for remote sensing

Determining Layer Properties in 2D Materials

Coherent THz-Raman® systems can provide direct information about both the number and orientation of the layers in 2D materials, enabling a fast, non-destructive, “in-situ” and cost-effective alternative to slower techniques.

On-chip laser-based quantum device generates true random numbers

A photonic integrated circuit containing two laser diodes whose outputs are interfered and measured produces truly random numbers at gigahertz rates.

Fiber sensing

FIGURE 1. The transparent zebrafish embryo enables paired patch clamp measurements of spinal neurons and locomotory muscle cells. Two chevron-shaped repetitive segments of tail muscle are shown. The two patch clamp recording electrodes are shown for an individual motoneuron and muscle cell. Only one electrode is visible in the field because placement of the electrodes during formation of whole-cell recording mode is done under very high magnification.

Neuroscience/Bioimaging: Optomechanics reveals transmitter roles in neuromuscular junctions

A clever optomechanical setup enables researchers to use patch clamp, Ca2+ imaging, and optogenetics to elucidate the roles of various neurotransmitters and correlate them with known genetic-defect diseases in humans.

A diagram shows NIST’s ion trap used for reversible “quantum squeezing” to amplify and measure ion motion. The ion (white ball) is confined 30 microns above the trap surface by voltages applied to the eight gold electrodes and the two red electrodes. Squeezing--that reduces the uncertainty of motion measurements--is achieved by applying a specific signal to the red electrodes. The ion is moved by applying another type of signal to one of the gold electrodes. Then the squeezing is reversed, and the blue electrodes generate magnetic fields used to decode the amplified motion measurements.

NIST quantum squeezing and amplification technique advances quantum computing

NIST’s rapid, reversible squeezing method could speed up operations in a quantum computer.

LASER World of PHOTONICS 2019: Inspiring

The depth and diversity of photonics technologies and products on display is an exciting reminder of the pivotal role of the world’s leading photonics tradeshow.

$A nonperiodic pinhole-based photon sieve widens the display angle of a lensless digital dynamic holographic display produced by a liquid-crystal-based spatial light modulator (SLM). At top, a dynamic holographic display without the nonperiodic photon sieve has a narrow viewing angle. At bottom, a holographic display with the nonperiodic photon sieve, which diffracts light at a high angle, has a larger viewing angle. The pinhole array in the sieve is made nonperiodic to avoid creating periodic arrays of diffraction artifacts. The researchers note that the holographic objects to be displayed need to appear within the shaded regions to prevent clipping.$

Pinhole-based ‘photon sieve’ widens viewing angle of dynamic holographic displays

Ultralow-threshold polariton nanolaser operates at room temperature

New simulation tools improve understanding of laser/plasma coupling interactions

Understanding of these mechanisms is critical to the development of ultracompact particle accelerators and light sources.

Synopsys and photonics industry leaders partner to advance PIC technology with plasmonics

Three-year project PLASMOfab advanced PICs and CMOS-compatible plasmonics for optical data communications and biosensing.

Cellulose has birefringence useful in flexible displays

Stretching hydrogels can create unidirectionally aligned cellulose nanofiber films potentially useful in LCD filters.