Tohoku University researchers have improved a method for probing semiconducting crystals with light to detect defects and impurities. The details of their 'omnidirectional photoluminescence (ODPL) spectroscopy' set-up were published in the journal Applied Physics Express, and could help improve the fabrication of materials for electric cars and solar cells.

UniKLasers Limited, a leading manufacturer of high precision scientific laser instrumentation, has launched a second-generation series of its Solo 640 range of laser equipment, offering greater precision and feature enhancement in areas reliant on single frequency laser technology such as high-resolution Holography, Interferometry, Raman and Brillouin Spectroscopy.

With high-resolution microscopy, it is theoretically possible to image cell structures with a resolution of a few nanometres. However, this has not yet been possible in practice.

Manufacturers of glass hollowware have long sought a way to pick out defective product at the hot end of their process, while the pieces are still above 200ºC. At that glass inspection stage, rejects are identified, then shunted aside and reprocessed efficiently, greatly reducing scrap. 

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is set to launch its Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) mission to study Earth's near-space environment and better understand what disrupts radio signals and satellites used for communications and the Global Positioning System (GPS) for radio navigation.

NASA has developed an innovative new spectroscopy instrument to aid the search for extraterrestrial life. The new instrument is designed to detect compounds and minerals associated with biological activity more quickly and with greater sensitivity than previous instruments.

Scientists at Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg in Bavaria, Germany, have introduced a novel plasmonic cavity antenna design that enhances the creation and control of photons emitted by atoms and molecules.

Hyperspectral imaging technology has advanced significantly in the last 50 years, and Greg Staples with Bayspec talked with us for a few minutes at the 2016 SPIE DCS exhibition about how it has changed.

This year at Photonics West, Jason Palidwar with Iridian Spectral Technologies gave us insight into the three optical filtering solutions his company is focusing on in 2016.

Si-Ware Systems drew a lot of positive attention at Photonics West 2015 with their Prism award winning MEMS spectral sensors. Bassam Saadany and Mostafa Medhat met with Photonics Online on the last day of the show so we could get a glimpse of the sensors in person and see them in action. If you’re looking to replace your standard bench top FT-IR spectrometer with something much smaller and much less expensive, then this video is most certainly for you.

PD-LD's LS-2 LabSource is a dual-source benchtop module features two laser sources, rendering it unique relative to other benchtop Raman modules. These laser sources are VBG-stabilized, and are available in standard and custom wavelengths.

Watch this video from Avantes for news on a recent redesign of their tungsten-halogen light source, some beam splitter combiner accessories, and the latest addition to their line of high-sensitivity spectrometers.

Bob Struthers of PD-LD introduces us to its new 530nm green laser at Photonics West 2013.

Ed Albe and Jeffrey Meade of Tornado Spectral Systems tell us about the HyperFlux U1 HTVS (high throughput virtual slit) enabled spectrometer at Photonics West 2013.