May 2012 Issue
Feature Articles
Advances in Yb:Fiber Frequency Comb Technology
Femtosecond-laser frequency combs revolutionized the field of precision metrology after their introduction in 1999. Today, they are commonly used in atomic clock calibration, low-noise frequency synthesis, astronomical spectrograph calibration and precision spectroscopy. Scientists are now pushing to extend frequency combs into the mid-infrared and extreme ultraviolet spectral region with Yb:fiber technology.
by Axel RuehlComputers at Work on Ultrafast Laser Design
Ultrafast lasers have evolved so quickly in the last decade that engineers have only recently incorporated computer technology into their design. Today, new computer programs could provide increased precision and performance for ultrafast lasers used in medical applications, micromachining and scientific research.
by Catalin V. FilipLight, Atoms and Nuclei: The Optical Discovery of Deuterium
Eighty years have passed since atomic spectroscopy was used to discover deuterium, or “heavy hydrogen.” The element has played a transformational role in the development of nuclear energy and isotope chemistry. Currently, it is helping astronomers to understand the very origins of our universe.
by Charles W. Clark and Joseph ReaderRemembering the Million-Hour Laser
On the 50th anniversary of the diode laser, Richard Dixon reminisces about the program that took the device from laboratory curiosity to the applied technology that forms the backbone for terrestrial and undersea communications.
by R.W. DixonDepartments and Columns
What Makes a Good Website for Scientists?
More and more scientists are creating their own websites to showcase their careers and interests. What constitutes a successful site to our peers? The answer might surprise you.
An Optics Road Trip in Rural Australia
Two members of the University of Sydney OSA student chapter report back from their two-week road trip through a remote area of the Australian Outback, during which they gave high school students a unique introduction to hot topics in optics.
Arago’s Inadvertent Test of Relativity
Nearly 100 years before Einstein’s special theory of relativity, François Arago unknowingly found the first experimental evidence for it.
Coming to Life: The Story of Spectral Applied Research
A Canadian company focused on life sciences imaging had to reinvent itself in order to remain relevant.
Uncovering Hidden Biases in Optics
How do you fight what you cannot see, even within yourself?
Bending 3-D Microshapes With Light
A twist on a long-used printing technique allows researchers to use photolithography to make complex microscale 3-D shapes.
Edward O. Hulburt: Frederick Ives Medalist, 1955
Edward O. Hulburt, recipient of the 1955 Frederick Ives Medal, was a pioneer in atmospheric research. He is best known for his rocket experiments that examined ultraviolet and X-radiation in the ionosphere and for establishing optics research at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., U.S.A.
One-step Rainbow Grating
A low-cost, single-step method makes reflection gratings with tailored, variable periods.
Lasing from a Self-Assembled Photonic Crystal
Researchers in India have developed a mirrorless photonic crystal laser made out of dye-activated, self-assembled nanoscale spheres.
Team Builds Mid-infrared Lumped Nanocircuit
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania (U.S.A.) have built a working 2-D optical nanocircuit designed out of “lumped” elements analogous to the familiar building blocks of electronic circuitry.
Stimulating Specific Neurons with Light
A new, noninvasive method to control neurons uses the unique optical and electrical properties of quantum dots (QDs).
