RPMC Lasers Blog

Despite the James Webb being in place and set to start observations this summer, Hubble is still going strong. The nearly 3… Read More

Historically, Helium-Neon (HeNe) lasers were often the first choice for precision instrumentation, measurement setups and some spectroscopy applications. It was invented in 1960 and technologically it was one of the first lasers with extraordinary good parameters. The mechanical and optical design is quite simple (apart from sophisticated glasswork to make the tube itself) but the gas lasing medium and overall construction provide some intrinsic advantages. But also a number of disadv… Read More

Two-photon microscopy has become a key fluorescent imaging technique that enables in-vivo, non-invasive 3-dimensional imaging with sub-micron resolution in volume. Challenged by the wider variety of applications particularly in the field of neuroscience, two-photon microscopy has led to the conception of systems using new excitation techniques and innovative lase… Read More

Combat zones can be extremely chaotic. With a massive influx of sensory input, implementing clear communication, rugged tools, and reliable instrumentation is key to a successful mission. One of the most challenging tasks in any aerial combat situation is determining which assets on the ground to target and which ones to avoid. This determination is particularly challenging when enemy assets are camouflaged or hidden amongst civili… Read More

Research at Lund University in Sweden has found a new way to create nano-sized magnetic particles using ultrafast laser li… Read More

Laser alignment can be a challenging task, but aligning a laser beam doesn’t have to be as complicated as it might seem with the right tools and proper techniques. Multiple tried-and-true methods have been developed over the years, utilized by technicians and engineers to simplify the alignment process. With the development of these methods, along with some tips and tricks, you don’t need to be a laser expert to perform your alignments with relative ease, ensuring your laser path is right where you want it to be and your beam is on target e… Read More

Microchip laser technology is a perfect option for various LIDAR-based applications, as well as LIBS, spectroscopy, micromachining, and more. Microchip lasers are typically compact and lightweight, allowing for easier and more efficient integration in airborne and portable, handheld applications, and the laser characteristics are in line with LIDAR requirements for collecting … Read More

HB11 is approaching nuclear fusion from an entirely new angle, using high power, high precision lasers instead of hundred-mill… Read More

Industrial laser induced breakdown spectroscopy typically involves the elemental analysis of various metals. In our previous application note titled “Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) in Biomedical Applications,” we discussed the fundamentals of the technique, emphasizing the use of q-switched diode-pumped solid-state lasers as the excitation source. In this blog post, we are going to explore the possibility of utilizing nanosecond pulsed fiber lasers as the excitation source. We will also discuss the pros and cons of that approach, specifically for the characterization of metals and metal… Read More

In most circumstances, disordered working conditions prevent us from performing accurate work. But in a reversal of this common wisdom, a team of researchers from the University of Adelaide and the University of St Andrews, Scotland has achieved recent breakthroughs in precision measurement by “scrambling” la… Read More

Driving a vehicle at night or during foggy conditions can be tricky and dangerous, where poor visibility can cause undue stress or even an accident. These conditions make it more difficult to see upcoming potential obstacles, especially if that obstacle is a deer in a field or a pedestrian in dark clothing at night. However, thanks to newer, more efficient, and cost-effective advancements, we could see more widespread deployment of LIDAR-based automotive detection and warning… Read More

Q-switching is the most effective method for producing high energy pulsed lasers.  While there are many different varieties of a q-switch, they all follow the same basic operating principle.  Q-switches temporarily increase the cavity losses so that the gain threshold is artificially high preventing the laser from emitting light.  This process allows the population inversion inside of the gain medium to grow until it becomes fully sa… Read More

A new photonic effect in semiconducting helical particles with nanoscale dimensions has been discovered by an international team of scientists led by researchers at the University of Bath. The observed effect has the potential to accelerate the discovery and development of life-saving medicines and photonic tec… Read More

Interferometry is one of the most widely used precision measurement techniques known to humankind. The precision provided by interferometers has enabled countless scientific discoveries and breakthroughs. These discoveries range from the Michelson and Morley Experiment in 1887, which led to the discovery that electromagnetic waves could propagate through the vacuum of space without needing an “aether” to detecting gravitational waves in 2015 by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observato… Read More

The ISB (Integrated Spectral Bench) exhibits excellent wavelength stability, high power, low-intensity noise, low coherence, and significantly large bandwidth. The Luxmux Low DoP series of all-semiconductor optical sources has a wide selection of wavelengths that can be offered singularly or combined, covering the entire range of telecom spectral bands (O to U). The… Read More

In the search for a more cost-effective, efficient, and agile defense against increasingly modernized threats, such as armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, the US Navy has turned to directed-energy weapons (DEWs). The USS Portland, equipped with a laser weapon system, is the latest example of modern, cost-effective threat mitigation, effectively demonstrating the ability to destroy both a floating target and a drone in fiel… Read More

A thin disk laser is a type of diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) laser technology in which the gain medium is comprised of a thin disk of typically Yb:YAG crystal. The invention of the thin disk laser came in 1991 through collaboration between the German Aerospace Center and a group at the University of … Read More

RPMC Lasers Inc, the leading laser distributor in North America, is excited to announce an exclusive distribution agreement with Dausinger + Giesen, allowing us to now offer their Thin-Disk Lasers and Thin-Disk Components. D + G provides leading edge thin disk laser components, such as thin disk gain media, thin disk pump modules, Pockels cells, and high-power opto… Read More

Flow cytometry is a method for simultaneously analyzing multiple physical properties of an individual cell as it flows through a beam of light in a fluid stream, including the cells size and fluorescence.  In practice, flow cytometry is essentially a combination of particle counting and fluorescence spectroscopy. By combining these two techniques flow cytometry can be employed in cell counting, cell sorting, biomarker detection, and protein engineering analyzing thousands of cells per second as they pass through the liqu… Read More

Fluorescence imaging is a non-invasive imaging technique that utilizes the mechanism of fluorescence – matter emitting light of a particular wavelength after absorbing photons – which helps visualize biological processes taking place in a living organism. Tissues, cells, and their cellular structures are mostly water, making them transparent and difficult to view with traditiona… Read More

New experiments allow researchers to watch attosecond laser pulse pairs up close, allowing for a better understanding and control over these ultrashort pulse pairs. This interesting breakthrough could lead to some amazing advancements in spectroscopy, microelectronic manufacturing, medical equipment and surgeries, and who knows what else… This article explains this new development and discusses the potential future… Read More

Single-frequency lasers have long been the cornerstone of standoff gas detection applications, particularly in traditional LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging), DIAL (Differential Absorption LIDAR), and TDLAS (Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy) applications, where the sample needs to be accurately measured.  More recently, as single-frequency laser diodes have become more common and less expensive, with a larger measurement range and compact size, they are being utilized in more localized and industrial gas sensing app… Read More

When operating a laser diode, proper thermal management is critical to avoid damage. A few key aspects to consider are the generation and dissipation of waste heat, laser diode operating temperature, and proper heatsinking. This article will focus on TO-Can packages, giving consideration to these key aspects and providing useful information for proper thermal m… Read More

The United Kingdom is investing roughly $100 million in new directed energy weapons across sea and land. Split into three contracts, and announced September 14 at the Defense and Security Equipment International exhibition in London, two of the direct energy weapons will be lasers that can stop drones, while the third will use radio to detect and track targets. It’s a push for a new kind of weapon that can face a new kind of threat, and do so cost-ef… Read More

Micro-welding is a high-precision welding method employed to fuse minuscule metal parts or features together. Traditionally, this requires a highly skilled specialist, utilizing a variety of skill sets and knowledge of various materials’ properties, taking into account all of the particular considerations involved in such a precise, delicate process. The Ford company first developed micro-welding to solve the problem of welding materials in a vacuum tube with a high melt… Read More