Optics & Photonics News

Wahl Announces Platinum Sponsorship for 2013 Thermal Imaging Conference

Wahl Instruments, Inc and United Infrared, Inc. announce Wahl’s Platinum Sponsorship of the 2013 United Infrared Thermal Imaging Conference. Held in San Diego, CA June 3-6, 2013, Thermal Imaging Conference 2013 features an exhibition hall, as well as more than 50 breakout educational sessions covering a variety of thermal imaging applications.

HACH LANGE Announces Winner of Ireland’s Oldest Working Hach Spectrophotometer

To celebrate the launch of the new spectrophotometers; DR 3900 and DR 6000, instrumentation specialist HACH LANGE launched a competition to find the oldest operational HACH or LANGE photometer in Ireland.Extensive research revealed that the contestant with the oldest instrument, and winner of a brand new DR 3900,isMichael Whelan of Wicklow County Council with his DR3 spectrophotometer purchased in 1985.

New IDTechEx Report on Metal Oxide TFT Backplanes for Displays

New drivers are opening up new frontiers in the display industry, resulting in technological innovation and the expansion and diversification of the market. This article summaries some of these recent developments and research from IDTechEx’s brand new report "Metal Oxide TFT Backplanes for Displays 2013-2018: Analysis, Trends, Markets" .

Teledyne DALSA's Piranha HS NIR Imaging Solution Selected as Finalist for Two Awards

Teledyne DALSA today announced that Test & Measurement World has named the Piranha HS NIR as a finalist in the Best in Test Awards. These awards recognize the best in test products and test professionals. In addition, the Piranha HS NIR has been chosen as a finalist for Control Engineering’s Engineer’s Choice Awards. The magazine seeks the insight of engineers in the field to help determine the most noteworthy products introduced in the past year.

Ultrafast Camera Tracks Collision Energy of Projectiles Slamming into Bed of Disks

High-speed video of projectiles slamming into a bed of disks has given scientists a new microscopic picture of the way a meteorite or missile transfers the energy of its impact to sand and dirt grains.

Advanced Telescopes Help View Rossiter-McLaughlin Effect during Transit of Venus

A team of Italian astronomers performed a very difficult measurement for which it was necessary to use the most advanced instrumentation in combination with an unusual technique, so as to involve even the Moon as a natural astronomical mirror.

NREL-LBL Reports Examine Solar Photovoltaic Pricing in the U.S.

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE)'s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBL) jointly released two reports examining solar photovoltaic (PV) pricing in the U.S.

Slow Demand from LED Makers Challenges the Sapphire Industry

A shortage of sapphire material between 2010 and 2011 created a window of opportunity for new entrants. In just the last two years, more than 80 companies announced their intention to enter the industry. This trend coupled with slow demand from LED makers in 2012, has manifested a challenging environment with cores and wafers often selling at prices at or below manufacturing cost. These difficult market conditions will trigger an industry rationalization through consolidation and attrition that should take place in 2013 and 2014.

Physician’s Technology Releases Fifth Generation Laser Joint Rejuvenation System

The Italian Renaissance sculptor Michelangelo once declared “everything hurts”. Baby boomers are more active than ever and stress their joints. Millions rely on dangerous pain meds and injections to stay active. Pain medication and injections can be dangerous and even lethal. Popular therapeutic pain laser technology offers hope but is not practical for home use and is out of reach of a vast patient population.

Astrobiology Researchers Search for Precursors to Life in Newly Born Stars

A team of astrobiology researchers – including two from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute – will use a series of nighttime flights on an airborne observatory to search newly born stars for the presence of precursors to life.

LDI Introduces Novel High Power Monolithic Stack Pulsed Laser Diodes

OSI Laser Diode, Inc. (LDI), an OSI Systems Company, introduces a product family of high power monolithic stack pulsed laser diodes for a wide variety of military/defense, industrial, automotive, and machine vision applications.

FDA Clears LENSAR Laser System for Corneal Incisions in Cataract Surgery

LENSAR Inc., developer of the next generation LENSAR Laser System™ for refractive cataract surgery, announced today that the company’s laser system has received 510(k) clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for executing corneal incisions during cataract surgery.

A team of astrobiology researchers – including two from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute – will use a series of nighttime flights on an airborne observatory to search newly born stars for the presence of precursors to life.

Larson Electronics Introduces HAL-7W-LED for Small Area Hazardous Location Lighting

Larson Electronics announced the addition of the HAL-7W-LED for small area hazardous location lighting. While most hazardous location fixtures are typically large, the seven watt HAL-7W-LED's compact design enables designers and operators to fit this light into panel and instrument enclosures where larger hazardous lights won't fit. Priced around $200, the HAL-7W-LED is both UL and CSA certified for Class 1 Division 2 Groups A, B, C and D and comes with an adjustable yolk mount.

Novel Device Focuses Light to a Point at the Nanoscale

As technology advances, it tends to shrink. From cell phones to laptops—powered by increasingly faster and tinier processors—everything is getting thinner and sleeker. And now light beams are getting smaller, too.