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Applied Optics and the Early Days of the Laser

John N. Howard

Prompted by the complaints of the so-called “Subversive Optics Society” in the late 1950s, OSA launched a new journal in 1962 to represent modern topics in optics. Due to fortuitous timing—and a highly competent managing editor—Applied Optics was able to cover the most current topic imaginable long before its competition: the laser. more>>

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In-Fiber Acousto-Optic Devices for Laser Applications

Christian Cuadrado-Laborde, Antonio Díez, Miguel V. Andrés, José L. Cruz and Miguel Bello-Jiménez

These authors review in-fiber acousto-optic devices that have demonstrated new possibilities for the control of Q-switched distributed feedback and mode-locked all-fiber lasers—in other words, tools for using sound to control light. more>>

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Ultrahigh-Speed Optical Processing Using Space-Time Duality

Mark A. Foster, Reza Salem and Alexander L. Gaeta

Temporal all-optical processing systems—which are based on the space-time duality of light—provide a practical approach for meeting the bandwidth demands of next-generation ultrahigh-speed technologies. more>>

Stretchable Solar Cells

Yvonne Carts-Powell

Researchers have developed organic solar cells that are not only flexible, but stretchable. more>>

Imaging Drug Effects on Tumors

Yvonne Carts-Powell

Holographic tissue dynamics spectroscopy allows researchers to look at motion inside living tissue. more>>

Growing Lasers on Silicon

Yvonne Carts-Powell

A group at The University of California, Berkeley, described a method of creating gallium arsenide nanolasers monolithically integrated onto silicon. more>>

Using Satellite Maps to Aid Japan

Yvonne Carts-Powell

In response to explosions at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in the week after Japan’s 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami on March 11, mapmakers at the Rochester Institute of Technology quickly made maps from satellite images to help emergency responders. more>>

Education

One Course, Two Top Optics Schools

Kristin Waller

The University of Arizona College of Optical Sciences and the Institute of Optics at the University of Rochester are going the distance this semester—by offering classes for credit from each other’s curricula. more>>

Light Touch

Pop Culture Crimes against Lasers (and Other Optics)

Stephen R. Wilk

With the laser into its 51st year of existence, filmmakers and TV producers have had a long time to master the fundamentals of lasers and other optical concepts. But optics unfortunately remains victim to the ever-tempting appeal of drama over reality. more>>

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OPN Talks with Mordechai (Moti) Segev

Angela Stark

Our conversation with Moti Segev, soliton specialist and CLEO:2011 fundamental science plenary speaker. more>>

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OPN Talks with Susumu Noda

Angela Stark

Our conversation with Susumu Noda, photonic crystal connoisseur and CLEO:2011 science & innovations speaker. more>>

Optical Engineering

Evolving CMOS Technology for High-Performance Single-Photon Detection

Edoardo Charbon

For decades, solid-state detectors could capture individual photons. This is now possible to do using avalanche photodiodes. So-called single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) are avalanche photodiodes biased above breakdown in Geiger mode and fabricated using CMOS processes. more>>

Optics Innovations

Energetiq Technology Inc.: From Semi Fab to Bio Lab

Lisa Robillard

This company takes a customer-first approach to creating and manufacturing efficient, high-brightness, laser-driven light sources—with applications in the semiconductor industry, analytical spectroscopy and the life sciences. more>>

Conversations in Optics