Applied Optics' Application Notes

Application Notes (formerly Engineering and Laboratory Notes, E&L Notes) are concise articles that share useful laboratory methods and techniques or unusual applications of optical instruments or software that are of use for optics students and professionals. Topics include design and analysis, fabrication and integration, alignment, testing, and calibration of optical systems. Application Notes does not accept original research articles, rather it is a valuable way to inform other optics research and technicians about your useful application!

Application Notes are expected to benefit optics students and professionals in industry, applied research, government labs, and academic labs by sharing useful tips and techniques. Submissions may come from any of these groups.

Suitable Application Notes may include:

• tips for optical design, tolerancing, and modeling
• best practices for data acquisition, reduction, and analysis
• techniques for assembling, aligning, characterizing and calibrating optical systems
• methods to integrate optical systems with mechanical, electrical, or other external systems
• measurement techniques and methods to validate or calibrate system performance
• applications of optical instruments beyond the usual scope
• patent descriptions and approvals

Submissions will be reviewed by the Application Notes Review Panel, and a decision on publication will be made by the Application Notes Features Editor. Original research is not appropriate for Application Notes and such articles will be reassigned as Research Articles or returned to authors. Acceptance criteria for Application Notes will focus on the utility and reproducibility of the techniques described, the scope of their application, their value to readers of Applied Optics, and their overall clarity and correctness. Submissions are expected to be concise and generally shorter than a research paper.

A successful Application Note will address these features, where applicable: the context for the method; key assumptions; hardware and software requirements; set-up, alignment and calibration procedures and verification processes; relevant standards and/or references a description of sampling methods used; and helpful short-cuts or other tips/tricks.

Applied Optics encourages supplementary materials to Application Notes such as videos, 2D image files, 3D solid models, infographics, process flow charts, example test data, and data-processing scripts. References to externally hosted design and modeling files from optical design programs are also encouraged.

Click here to see the review criteria.

View the collection of Application Notes here.

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