May 2016

Artist’s rendering of NASA’s planned Laser Communications Relay Demonstration mission (launching in mid-2019), which will relay signals from the International Space Station to a ground receiver.

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Space-Based Laser Communications Break Threshold

Donald Cornwell

Recent and upcoming deployments of satellite laser communication systems are bringing Internet-like speeds for data transmission in space. The result could be a revolution in communication, both on Earth and across the solar system.

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Photodynamic Therapy

Cristina Kurachi and Vanderlei Salvador Bagnato

A century-old biophotonic technique continues to develop, offering new, low-cost treatment possibilities for cancer, drug-resistant bacteria and more.

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OSA Centennial Snapshots: The Decade When Everything Changed

Jeff Hecht

With momentum from wartime R&D funds, the optics and photonics scene post-WWII was filled with transformative innovations in optics design, surveillance, fiber optics and, of course, the laser.