Optical Components, Coatings & Materials News

  1. 3 Rock-Solid Predictions (j/k) About What To Expect From Photonics In 2024 12/7/2023

    Before 2023 comes to an end we want to go on record with three things that we guarantee will happen in 2024.

    (Guarantee not valid anywhere, anytime, and/or any place. Void everywhere.)

  2. 2023's Best: Methane Super Emitters, The Valley Of Death, Hidden Cities, And Maple Syrup 12/6/2023

    It’s that time again. Let’s take a look at the most-read articles that appeared on Photonics Online this year. It’s got intrigue, suspense, and surprises. Oh, and infrared, LiDAR, and so much more.

  3. How Microscopy Helps Big Pharma With The Little Things 11/21/2023

    Microscopy plays a crucial role in various aspects of pharmaceutical research and development within life sciences. Let’s take a look at how Big Pharma uses this technology to discover new drugs, perform quality control, and more.

  4. NIST's Superconducting Camera 400 Times More Powerful Than Any Other Device Of Its Type 11/2/2023

    Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and their colleagues have built a superconducting camera containing 400,000 pixels — 400 times more than any other device of its type.

  5. Everybody Loves LiDAR 10/27/2023

    LiDAR – is there anything it can’t do? Invented in the 1960s on the heels of the invention of the laser, LiDAR became commercially viable in the late 1980s. Today, it’s omnipresent, allowing us to do things we’ve never seen before in ways we never imagined.

  6. I'm Going As A Nobel Prize Winner For Halloween 10/20/2023

    This year’s batch of Nobel Laureates all seem to be fine scientists, researchers, authors, and leaders who don’t seem to have anything to do with Halloween. But don’t worry, we found some past award winners who do!

  7. My Flex Sig, Fiber Optics, And OCT 10/5/2023

    ​Fiber optics are omnipresent in medicine, helping improve procedures and outcomes. Here we dig into one specific technology making use of fiber optics: optical coherence tomography. As a bonus, you also get to read about my flexible sigmoidoscopy, performed nearly 30 years ago and burned into my mind forever.

  8. Clear Vision: Optical Coatings, Rain Sensors, And Safer Roads 9/26/2023

    Rain sensors play a critical role in the automotive industry, enhancing safety while driving. Optical coatings, thin layers applied to optical components to control light reflection, transmission, and absorption, help rain sensors do their thing.

  9. How Hexapods Improve Confocal Microscopy 9/12/2023

    Hexapods enhance confocal microscopy with precise 3D positioning, vibration damping, autofocusing, image stabilization, and large-scale scanning. They're ideal for complex imaging tasks in biological and materials science research, easily integrated with other imaging modalities, and user-friendly.

  10. Improving The Military's Use Of Night Vision 8/24/2023

    The use of night vision devices by the military first started in 1939. Numerous technological advances have been made since then, to the point we may soon see contact lenses provide the same advantages without the bulkiness of cumbersome headgear.