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Lasers ♦ news digest


over long distances. “Among hundreds of millions of photons, only a few trigger a Raman-scattering process in the sample”, continues Zachhuber.


These scattered particles of light are scattered uniformly in all directions. Only a tiny fraction travel back to the light detector. From this very weak signal, as much information as possible has to be extracted. This can be done using a highly efficient telescope and extremely sensitive light detectors.


In this project, funded by the EU, the researchers at TU Vienna collaborated with private companies and with partners in public safety, including The Spanish Guardia Civil who are extremely interested in the new technology.


During the project, the Austrian military was also involved. On their testing grounds the researchers from TU Vienna could put their method to the extreme. They tested frequently used explosives, such as TNT, ANFO or RDX. The tests were highly successful: “Even at a distance of more than a hundred metres, the substances could be detected reliably,” concludes Engelene Chrysostom of TU Vienna.


well-defined spot. Therefore, the light signal emitted by the container stems from a very small region. The light which enters the container, on the other hand, is scattered into a much larger region. If the detector telescope is not exactly aimed at the point at which the laser hits the container but at a region just a few centimetres away, the characteristic light signal of the contents can be measured instead of the signal coming from the container.


The new method could make security checks at the airport a lot easier – but the area of application is much wider. The method could be used wherever it is hard to get close to the subject of investigation. It could be just as useful for studying icebergs as for geological analysis on a Mars mission. In the chemical industry, a broad range of possible applications could be opened up.


Laser manufacturer Thorlabs completes new headquarters


Subsequent construction phases are planned for the next 7-10 years and will ultimately expand the company’s space to include approximately 300,000 square foot


Thorlabs, a global provider of photonics equipment, has completed its new three-story, 120,000 square foot facility, located at 56 Sparta Avenue, in Newton, New Jersey.


The new site will serve as the central hub for Thorlabs’ sales, service, R&D, and manufacturing operations.


Bernhard Zachhuber, adjusting the spectrometer


Raman spectroscopy over long distances even works if the sample is hidden in a non-transparent container. The laser beam is scattered by the container wall, but a small portion of the beam penetrates the box. There, in the sample, it can still excite Raman-scattering processes.


“The challenge is to distinguish the container’s light signal from the sample signal”, says Bernhard Lendl. This can be done using a simple geometric trick: The laser beam hits the container on a small,


The company, still privately held by its founder and CEO, Alex Cable, has consistently experienced double-digit growth since its founding in 1989. Although Sussex County has always been home to the New Jersey-based manufacturer, the company has expanded geographically over the years to include 12 sales, manufacturing, and R&D offices in eight countries.


During that time, the need for more space also led Thorlabs to expand its footprint in Sussex County, eventually purchasing 87,800 square feet of space, spread out over five different locations.


Today, Thorlabs employs approximately 700 people March 2012 www.compoundsemiconductor.net 103


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