Photonics WWW links

Here are some useful links to web pages that are related to Optics and Photonics:

RP-Photonics Encyclopedia of Laser Physics and Technology

This web-based encyclopedia reference is informative, introductory, and authoritative. A good place to check first when you want to know "what is that?" about a topics related to lasers.

Laser Focus World

This trade journal contains current news about the photonics industry, with information about applications of lasers, fiber optics, and other photonics-related topics. It also contains many tutorial articles. This WEB site also contains information about job possibilities in the photonics area.

Photonics Spectra home page

Another popular trade journal with content similar to Laser Focus World. This WEB site includes recent news of the photonics industry, an employment guide, a searchable Photonics Directory (Corporate Guide and Buyers' Guide) and Photonics Dictionary (5000+ words and terms).

Optical Society of America

This is the major optics-related professional society in the US, with a strong international emphasis as well. There are many additional links to be found at this site.

SPIE -- International Society for Optical Engineering

This is another major optics-related professional society in the US, with more of an emphasis on engineering applications, as opposed to basic research. There are many additional links here as well.

Harnessing Light: Optical Science and Engineering for the 21st Century

This report, sponsored by the U.S. National Research Council, was written by the Committee on Optical Science and Engineering and highlights the tecnological revolution that can be expected from optics and that will considerably impact life and society. (report is in pdf format)

Laser Applications

A brief slide show of various laser applications

Applets and demos:

• RP Photonics page on mode-locking.
• Simulation showing different modes adding together to obtain mode-locked pulses.
• Gaussian Beam simulator
  This simulation shows how changes in mirror separation and radii of curvature affect the shape of the cavity mode. Conditions for stability are visualized.
• Hermite-Gaussian Modes
  This reference shows pictures of the various Hermite-Gaussian Modes.
• Blackbody radiation demo
  This simulation shows the frequency distribution of blackbody radiation for different temperatures.
• Stimulated emission demo
  This simulation shows the process of stimulated emission, both without mirrors and with mirrors in the cavity. Without mirrors, the phenomenon is known as "amplified spontaneous emission", or ASE.
• Applet showing rotating phasors
  This applet shows the addition of multiple phasors to create various waveforms. The relative amplitude of the different harmonic components are given graphically, as well as the time-dependent resultant.
• Fourier Synthesis demo
  This simulation shows the process of adding harmonics of a fundamental sinusoidal wave to obtain closer approximations of a given waveform.
• Movie 1 showing mode-locking process
  This short movie shows the fundamental process of adding discrete modes in a laser cavity to create pulses
• Movie 2 showing mode-locking process
  This short movie shows how short pulses are created by imposing a time varying loss in the cavity. If this time-varying loss is imposed by an external modulator, it is termed "active mode locking".
• Build a Laser demo
  This simulation shows the processes of pumping, stimulated emission, and lasing in a laser medium with or without mirrors. The pump light intensity and wavelength can be changed, as well as the mirror reflectivities.
• Biological Lasers
  This news article shows the lasing process that was observed in a biological material for the first time in 2011.
• Biological Lasers: journal article in Nature Photonics
  This is the journal article that gives details of the lasing process that was observed in a biological material for the first time in 2011.