The Ultimate Flexible optics manufacturing technology:Magnetorheological Finishing

A revolutionary precision polishing method called magnetorheological finishing (MRF) has been developed to overcome many of the fundamental limitations of traditional polishing techniques. MRF is a deterministic subaperture process that has a demonstrated ability to finish spherical and plano surfaces to an accuracy of better than 30nm peak to valley and surface microroughness less than 1 nm on optical glasses, single crystals, and glass ceramics.

by Don Golini,Gunter Schneider, Peter Flug,and Mike DeMarco

Making Panoramas from Digital Images

This article is about another way to make satisfying panoramic images. The technique we describe consists of creating a series of digital images (obtained either by scanning conventional photographs or by taking digital photos), transferring the images to a computer, and then using image editing software to construct a composite image.

by Neal Gallagher and Michael Duncan

New Twists in Bose-Einstein Condensation

A Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) is a coherent atom field made up of very cold localized atoms. Although we usually think of atoms as interacting by collisions, these collisional interactions are mediated by electromagnetic fields. Thus nonlinear interactions in a BEC - the coupling of the atom field with itself via electromagnetically mediated atomic interactions - is the exact complement to nonlinear optics. For this reason it has been possible to demonstrate the counterpart to such classic non-linear optics experiments as four-wave mixing with the matter waves of BEC.

by Elizabeth A.Donley, Brian P. Anderson, and Carl E.Wieman

The Photonics Center

Bioelectricity and the Origins of Physiology

In historical reconstructions, if the focus is on the place of electricity in the construction of modern physiology, Galvani will surely be granted a prominent position. If our emphasis is on the mechanization of physiology, it is clear that electricity became a central part of physiologists found a way to frame purely mechanical interpretations for the action of electricity within living things.

by Brian S. Baigrie