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Interesting facts and current topics from photonics

Jul 31, 2024 The democratization of light
WWhat was once a tool for specialists is becoming increasingly accessible to a broader user base. Ease of use, power and adaptability are opening up the possibility of adapting light to individual needs and using it in a variety of ways.
Mar 15, 2024 Unveiling the invisible: A short journey into fluorescence microscopy
Fluorescence microscopy leverages the fluorescence effect to visualize structures and processes at the nanometer scale. This technique relies on fluorochromes, which, when excited by specific wavelengths of light, emit light of a different color.
Feb 28, 2023 The laser-induced damage threshold in high-power laser optics - Part 2
LIDT is an essential parameter when selecting and specifying laser optics for laser applications. The LIDT can be determined with the aid of various…
Jan 23, 2023 The laser-induced damage threshold in high-power laser optics
This series of blog articles on the laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) will start by addressing the causes of LID during manufacture. It will then…
Mar 7, 2022 You can’t get any smaller and more precise
Ultra-short pulse laser is the generic term for all laser sources that generate pulsed laser beams in the picosecond or femtosecond range…
Aug 10, 2021 Comparison of tactile measurement methods
Independent of the application, whether in satellite optics, video lenses or endoscopes – aspheres have already become indispensable in a wide range…
Jul 1, 2021 High-performance optical coating
Precision optical components such as lenses or mirrors are almost always provided with an optical coating. The applied layers have different effects…
Sep 14, 2020 Freeform optics: Fields of application and future opportunities for use
As already explained within the article ‘Spheres vs. Aspheres’, the use of aspheres in optical systems allows, among other things, more compact…
Jul 31, 2020 Aspheres vs. Spheres: Differences & Capabilities
Aspheres clearly dominate in terms of imaging quality, but this is still reflected in the higher production/measurement effort and thus higher costs compared to the spherical lens…
Jun 18, 2020 Top-Hat beam shaping with aspheres
Gaussian beam profiles are used in most laser applications. However, there are fields of application in which a homogeneous intensity distribution…
May 25, 2020 Overview of High-End-Finishing processes
Depending on the production requirements, materials or required accuracy, each of the High-End-Finishing processes represented can convince with outstanding results.
Mar 30, 2020 asphericon Ångström-Polishing
In the third section we will concentrate on asphericons Ångström-Polishing method.
Feb 3, 2020 Magnetorheological Polishing
After considering the correction process by ions (ION-FinishTM), this blog post will focus on magnetorheological finishing (MRF).
Nov 11, 2019 High-End Finishing Correction Processes
For highest precision and to minimize form deviations, optics can be subjected to a final correction step, the so-called finishing.
Jan 17, 2019 Optical coating methods
After introducing the field of optical coating, e. g. via filter and anti-reflective coatings, beam splitter and dielectric mirrors, the following article shows how to obtain the coating materials with the desired properties on optics made of glass, metal or other materials.
Feb 19, 2018 Cleaning optics properly
The basic requirement for a long lifespan and the preservation of quality of precision optics is the high level of care in handling and cleaning.
Jan 18, 2018 Aspheric Myths Part 2
Some of these myths have already been addressed in the previous article and we were able to disprove them. In the following, we will focus on three more myths about precision and reproducibility.
Dec 5, 2017 Aspheric myths – facts and fiction
With the development of modern manufacturing technologies, obsolete assumptions and prejudices about aspheres become myths. We will discuss some of these in the following and show which aspheric myths can be discarded today.
Aug 29, 2017 Interferometric Measurement of Aspheres
The first article of this series addressed the detailed description of tactile measuring procedure. The following contribution focuses on the non-contact measurement of aspheres with the help of interferometers, in order to describe optical measuring methods.
Jun 28, 2017 Improving focusing quality of spherical lenses
This article shows to what extent the focusing of a spherical lens can be improved by changing the input beam distribution using axicons.
Apr 17, 2017 Various beam shaper applications utilizing axicons
Axicons are conical lenses which create a ring-shaped beam used in research or rather different laser applications. They can be either convex or concave and made from almost any optical material.
Aug 11, 2016 Beam Expansion
Beam expansion systems (also referred to as Beam Expander) are used for optimum adaption of beam cross sections between light sources (i.e. laser) and the following optical element.


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Dr. Thomas Hegenbart
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