Leibinger Innovation Prize for TOPTICA Guide Star Laser

On September 9th 2016, TOPTICA’s guide star laser SodiumStar 20/2 was rewarded with the third place of the highly prestigious Laser Research Innovation Award presented by the Berthold Leibinger Stiftung. The “Guide Star Alliance”, consisting of TOPTICA Photonics AG (Germany), MPB Communications Inc. (Canada) and the European Southern Observatory (ESO), developed a novel high power laser system over a period of more than seven years serving as Guide Star for the Very Large Telescope (VLT) and other Large and Extremely Large Telescopes (ELT). This technology is a very long sought for key component for the construction of modern, earth-based telescopes and it has created already a large impact in the performance, reliability and maintenance of such high-tech devices.

Read more about the award ceremony in the official press release of the Berthold Leibinger Stiftung here.

Read more about the Guide Star Laser technology in this Laser Focus World article here.

On 26 April 2016 an event at ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile marked the brilliant first light for the four powerful lasers that form a crucial part of the adaptive optics systems on ESO’s Very Large Telescope. Attendees were treated to a spectacular display of cutting-edge laser technology against the majestic skies of Paranal. These are the most powerful laser guide stars ever used for astronomy and mark the first use of multiple laser guide stars at ESO. This spectacular image shows the four beams emerging from the new laser system on Unit Telescope 4 of the VLT.

Four units of TOPTICA’s laser guide star system “SodiumStar 20/2” project powerful orange beams into the air in Chile’s Atacama desert at the VLT. (Credit: ESO/F. Kamphues)

The third place of the 2016 Leibinger award for Laser Research Innovation was given to TOPTICA’s Guide Star Laser project. (Credit: Berthold Leibinger Foundation)

Congratulations to TOPTICA!