Wednesday, October 19, 2011

The Archimedes Palimpsest and Lenox Laser


Lenox Laser, as mentioned in the previous post, is involved and relevant to current events such as the recent Nobel Prize in Physics and the James Webb Telescope.

Photo from the Walter's Flickr site, part of the Lost and Found exhibit about the Archimedes Palimpsest

Another example is the Archimedes Palimpsest at Baltimore's Walters Art Museum. It is on a special exhibit right now until January 2012, and, believes it or not, Lenox Laser was involved with this as well! Lenox Laser was involved in the key science that allowed them to see past the monk's writings and read Archimedes' instead. SLAC was the organization that was heading up the research to better read the obscured text, and they contacted Lenox Laser for the special tungsten part.

From our earlier blog post about the Archimedes Palimpsest from 2006- it explains Lenox Laser's key role.

The Archimedes Palimpsest writings lingered unseen for centuries, seemingly purged from the documents forever, until Professor Heiburg began to review small scrawls beneath the visible text. At SLAC, a revolutionary modern analysis of the writing medium has been made - revealing they do contain historically important information left behind by Archimedes, Hidden from the naked eye.When confronted with an engineering challenge involving their Synchrotron X-Ray source, SLAC issued a request to Lenox Laser to produce microscopic laser-drilled holes in thin Tungsten film. These small apertures would prove critical to the team's success in uncovering the Palimpsest's "hidden treasure".

Here is the website about the ancient text: www.archimedespalimpsest.org
and the Walters Art Museum: thewalters.org

Nobel Physics Prizes and 2nd International Light Seminar

From left to right: Joseph d'Entremont, Alex Dudelzak, Greg Solyar, John Mather, and Reza Sarhangi
Earlier this month, on October 4, we had Dr John C Mather speak at our 2nd International Light Seminar. He received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2006 for his part in the COBE mission regarding the Big Bang theory and the expansion of the universe.

On that very day, the Nobel Prize in Physics was given to another group of scientists also doing work on dark matter and the expansion of the universe, showing that it was in fact rapidly expanding, not slowing down as previously thought. You can read more about this year's Nobel prize in their press release here. Dr Mather alluded to the recent prize and their work in his talk since it related specifically to the things he has studied. For Dr Mather's talk, visit our website and click on "Light Seminar", or click here.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

2nd International Light Seminar (October 4, 2011)

Having a good timeEntrance to Lenox Laser HallMather Bio30th Anniversary pen
Shot of the HallGreg Solyar- presenterDr Dudelzak talkGreg Solyar and Joseph d'Entremont
RudyDr Dudelzak speaks with a guestJoseph speaks with some guestsJoseph, Sarhangi, and guests
Dr Mather and Prof Sarhangi talkJoseph, Peggy, and Dr WoodProfessor Sarhangi and Joseph d'EntremontDr Mather, Greg, Prof Sarhangi, and JosephTour of Lenox LaserGuests mingling

2nd International Light Seminar

Yesterday was our 2nd International Light Seminar, and it went very well! Everyone enjoyed themselves and learned something new. The keynote speaker, Dr John C Mather, arrived just before lunch and graciously spent the rest of the afternoon with us. We are in the process of downloading the pictures, video, and other material and will be posting them on here and our Flickr site as soon as we can.

~Liesl

Monday, September 26, 2011

0.5 Micron Array

Moly .5um Array by Lenox Laser
Moly .5um Array, a photo by Lenox Laser on Flickr.
SEM photo of an array of half micron holes

Friday, September 23, 2011

2nd International Light Seminar- Dr John C Mather

Dr. John C. Mather in his office at Goddard Space Flight Center
Credit: NASA

Dr John C Mather is our guest and speaker of honor at our 2nd International Light Seminar here at Lenox Laser. For a more complete biography and list of accomplishments, you can see John Mather's NASA profile


We are very happy to have him and continue to have Nobel Prize winners speak at our seminars. His chosen topic is: "The Universe in a Nutshell." I don't think he'll have to worry about finishing early with that topic!






Dr. John C. Mather at the Nobel Award ceremony, standing with his award.
Copyright @ The Nobel Foundation 2006
Photo: Hans Mehlin

"Calm," by Reza Sarhangi

2011 Mathematical Art Exhibition Mathematical Imagery Presented by the American Mathematical Society

Reza Sarhangi, one of our guest speakers at our 2nd International Light Seminar, is a promoter of art in mathematics. The above image is a sample of his artwork and the type of mathematical art his Bridges organization promotes.

His topic at our seminar is "The Art and Mathematics of Star Polygons." We can't wait to listen!

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Reza Sarhangi

Our second speaker at our International Light Seminar of 2011. He is Professor of Mathematics, Towson University and
President - "Bridges: Mathematical Connections in Art, Music & Science"

His topic will be "The Art and Mathematics of Star Polygons"

Thursday, September 8, 2011

1st Annual Light Seminar (October 4, 2010)

Dr. Charles Townes and Brent HareJoseph d'Entremont and Dr. John WoodDr. Charles Townes, Greg Solyar, Dick Anderson, and Joseph d'EntremontGreg Solyar and Dr. Charles Townes1st Annual Light SeminarTom Hoffman and Dr. Rajarshi Roy
Dr. Charles Townes, Dick Anderson, and Joseph d'EntremontJoseph d'Entremont, Dick Anderson, Dr. John Wood, and Dr. Charles TownesJoseph d'Entremont, Xiaowen Li, Dr. Rajarshi Roy, and U. MD StudentJoseph d'Entremont, Dr. John Wood, and Peggy d'EntremontDr. Dennis Zembala and Greg SolyarJoesph d'Entremont and Dr. John Wood
Dr. Charles TownesGennady Krochik, Dr. Charles Townes, and Joseph d'EntremontDr. Charles Townes and Joseph d'EntremontLenox Laser Lab
Lenox Laser LabGreg Solyar, Dr. Charles Townes, llar Solyar, and Joseph d'EntremontJoseph d'Entremont and Dr. Charles TownesDr. Charles Townes and Joseph d'Entremont

Pictures from our First Annual International Light Seminar in 2010. Our guest speakers were Dr Charles Townes- Inventor of the maser and laser and Nobel Laureate, and Dr John Wood

Friday, September 2, 2011

Guest Speaker List for 2nd International Light Seminar

IN CELEBRATION OF LENOX LASER'S 30TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Featured Speaker:

DR. JOHN C. MATHER
Nobel Laureate 2006 Physics
Senior Astrophysicist & Goddard Fellow, NASA
Senior Project Scientist, James Webb Space Telescope

"The Big Bang Theory" and the James Webb Space Telescope
 

Guest Speakers:


DR. REZA SARHANGI
Professor of Mathematics, Towson University
President - "Bridges: Mathematical Connections in Art, Music & Science"
"The Art and Mathematics of Star Polygons"


DR. ALEXANDER E. DUDELZAK
Senior Scientist, Canadian Space Agency
"Novel Concepts & Application of Lidar: From the Bottom of the Ocean to Mars"
 
NADEJA SOKHIEVA & SHAANVAR SHAMANSUROV
Professor in & Head of Child Neurology
Tashkent Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education

"Imaging & Mathematical Methods in Diagnostics"
 

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Exciting Breakthrough- 0.5 micron (500 nm) Exact Leaks!


Lenox Laser has made exciting breakthroughs in the manufacturing processes of exact leaks!

Exact Leaks are calibrated microholes that are repeatedly and reliably generated in packages and/or other pharmaceutical and manufacturing goods.  These microholes are commonly used in integrity testing processes.

Lenox Laser's new process allows the creation of 0.5 micron holes in a wide variety of materials; including plastics and metals.



Please visit here: Services- Exact Leaks  on our website for more information.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Lenox Laser Online Calculators- Revisited

Our free online calculators are one of our best resources. They consistently get the top hits on our website and blog. The main page for our calculator applications website is here. Here you can see we offer three free calculators: 


-The Orifice Calculator does critical orifice calculations. On our website it stands alone, so for more information, this post- the Free Online Critical Flow Orifice Calculator on our blog goes into the specifics with more detail. And of course, for more precise calculations, please contact us.

-The Unit Calculator is a unit converter- simple, yet very helpful when using the website and placing orders.

-However, the Diffraction Calculator is perhaps the most fun, due to the visualization of all the different types of apertures, slits, etc. The applet is fun and informative to play around with, and certainly can be used in education to illustrate the different effects. 

Special thanks goes to Paul Falstad, and check out www.falstad.com to see more of his applets about science and physics.

Keep checking in for more posts, and please visit us at www.lenoxlaser.com to see our full line of products or to place a custom order.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Lenox Laser Scholarship- "Evaluation of UV LEDs for detection of atmospheric NO2 by photolysis- chemiluminescence"

Lockheed WP-3D Orion. From NOAA website
 
"Evaluation of ultraviolet light-emitting diodes for detection of atmospheric NO2 by photolysis- chemiluminescence"
 by Ilana B Pollack, Brian M Lerner, and Thomas B Ryerson

This article was accepted to Journal of Atmospheric Chemistry in February of this year, and it details an atmospheric study done in May and June of 2010. Lenox Laser made a total of 3 parts for their studies of different LED detections systems of NO2. For some key background information if one is not familiar, I highly recommend reading this article first:
Flourescence detection of atmospheric nitrogen dioxide using a blue light-emitting diode as an excitation source by Yutaka Matsumi et al. It is much more readable and understandable.

Basically, detection of NO2 in the atmosphere relates to the ozone levels in the atmosphere. Thus, scientists of the field are interested in better, more accurate, and cheaper ways to measure NO2. One of the most recent trends to do so is to use commercially available UV-LEDs in their systems. The systems already often use a UV light source of some kind because in the chemistry of NO2 and related molecules, they will emit light in the process. Atmospheric scientists use this property, called chemiluminescence, to measure the NO2 molecules. Chemiluminescence detection is called P-CL.

In this article, the authors tested 3 UV-LEDs against each other in the P-CL system as shown in the diagram below:
Fig 1 from the paper- schematic of instrumental configuration

I recommend reading the article itself to fully understand the diagram and the process. However, this is where Lenox Laser and our calibrated orifices come in. The red section where it says 700um orifice is where our first orifice was used. This is the bypass inlet, and was used to set the sample flow rate and cell pressure for the entire system. They found that the Nichia LEDs were the best overall.


So for the second part of the test, they took the Nichia LEDs on board the NOAA WP-3D aircraft with the P-CL for "on the job" training in the CalNex study. They replaced the more expensive and complicated mass flow controllers were replaced with our critical orifices and mass flow meters. In the diagram above the two places are indicated by arrows in the blue and black section. Replacing the parts in the system did improve the quality, and, as stated in the conclusion, they "eliminate mechanical components with complex flow paths that degrade time response. Replacing mass flow controllers with critical orifices and mass flow meters further simplifies the sample flow path in these laboratory test."

The NOAA WP-3D aircraft is the plane that flies into hurricanes to monitor and gather information. It took part in CalNex - a study by several universities and institutions of air quality and climate change on the west coast. Our parts were used on board and tested with the UV-LED systems during the study. They even went with the plane as it was briefly diverted from the study to the Gulf of Mexico during the oil spill.


So in conclusion, this research paper incorporates optics, chemistry, and biology with flow technologies, atmospheric studies, and research planes all together, with Lenox Laser parts in the middle of it all!

As always, check out our main website www.lenoxlaser.com to see more of what we do, as well as the rest of this blog. If you have any questions or input, email me at archives@lenoxlaser.com

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Harlem Globetrotter Coming to Lenox Laser

The CBMC Family Cookout with Choo Smith, former Harlem Globetrotter and Bill Alexson, President of SportsPower International will be held at Lenox Laser on July 30th, 2011. Go to the Events page linked below to look up more information.

CBMC Cookout flier
CBMC Events Page

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Spectrum of Industrial and Scientific Lasers

The first laser ever made used a synthetic ruby crystal- a solid-state laser with an emission wavelength of 694 nanometers. 

Now, over 50 years later, lasers can be from solids, liquids, or gases. They span the electromagnetic spectrum from far-infrared to the edge of ultraviolet, and emit wavelengths from 3 micron to 157 nanometers.

The full diagram of commercial lasers here at Wikimedia Commons.

We made a new and revised chart from the data showing more specifically the industrial and scientific lasers used in micro-drilling applications.


click here to enlarge


From the description:

"Laser types with distinct laser lines are shown above 
the wavelength bar, while below are shown lasers 
that can emit in a wavelength range... the height of 
the line gives an indication of the maximal power/pulse 
energy commercially available. For the Ar+-Kr+ laser 
only the most important lines are labeled...
Currently most of the data is taken from Weber's book 
"Handbook of laser wavelengths", with newer data in 
particular for semiconductor lasers."


From the original, we switched the bar around to go from longer to shorter wavelengths, instead of the other way around. Otherwise, it's the same data. It gives a nice visual overview of the laser spectrum and their myriad types.

Next week I'll be writing about an exciting research paper from NOAA for which we made 3 key parts. It connects atmospheric research, WWII planes, Hurricane Katrina, UV-LEDs, and Lenox Laser orifices all together! So be sure to check back.

And as always, check out past posts and our company website for even more information.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Laser-Drilling Applications Google Scholar Results




We are doing a lot this year in anticipation of our 2nd International Light Seminar in October as well as in commemoration of this our 30th anniversary. 

We decided that we wanted to get a better handle on where our parts have gone and how they are being used. I have already gone through Lenox Laser in space with NASA here. Now I want to take it back down to Earth.

In order see where our parts have been used and cited, I went to Google Scholar
and searched for "Lenox Laser." Here is the link to the results: Google Scholar. What I found was fascinating.


While not all of the results are accessible, those that are provide key insights into laser-drilling applications. The three broad categories are articles, patents, and theses and dissertations. In my research, I have broken them down accordingly and ordered them chronologically by publication year. The following graph illustrates the results:

click on the picture to enlarge

Here one can see a snapshot of Lenox Laser and how we are increasingly in demand. This also illustrates how laser-drilling and nano technologies have been growing.

I, and a few others, will be going through all of the articles we can and blog about them. We will give a summary of the article and the field that it relates to. However the key will be what part or parts we made and the applications.

We are working on improving our Newsroom on our company website. It will have a page where all the articles in which we are cited will be listed, as well as direct links. That will be up and running very soon.

So for now, please peruse through the Google Scholar results. You can even add keywords to specify your search, such as aperture or orifice. And, as always, please visit our website for more about Lenox Laser's products and services.