Introduction to Spectroscopy Imaging We have discussed many applications of spectrometers, but how do we attain the final spectral image to analyze? Spectrometers contain varying types of imaging systems ...

Introduction to Prisms Even as early as in the 13th century, six-sided crystals of natural quartz were used to generate rainbows. In the late 1660s, people believed that color was a mixture of lightness ...

Basics of Lamp-Pumped Solid State (LPSS) Lasers As the trailblazer for many modern day laser designs, LPSS lasers are a mature technology that have been around since the invention of the first laser. The ...

Introduction to Diffraction Gratings Diffraction gratings are optical components that diffract and separate light into several beams at different angles by wavelength. Their working principle is hinged ...

Introduction to Ultrafast Lasers The ultrafast laser is a category of laser that emits ultrashort light pulses with time spans of femtoseconds or picoseconds. To put this in perspective, ultrafast lasers ...

Introduction to Plasma Light Sources Moore’s Law states that the number of transistors per square inch on integrated circuits has and will continue to double every year. This trend alludes to exponential ...

Introduction to Optical Parametric Oscillators In 1961, Peter Franken and his group at the University of Michigan were the first to use  nonlinear materials to produce optical harmonics. This method ...

Basics of Operation There are many different types of lasers available in todays photonics market, however, Diode Pumped Solid State (DPSS) laser systems are a reliable and widely-used technology. Simply ...

Forensic science has come a long way since the 700s, when the Chinese first established the concept of utilizing fingerprints as means of identification. Since then, technology in photonics and optics ...

How do lasers work? This blog spends much time discussing the use and the applications of lasers, but how do they work? Lasers emit a coherent light beam from a cavity. The term “laser” is actually an ...