Buying Laser Guide Stars
Laser beams can be used to generate artificial stars, creating bright spots in the sky that can be used for astronomical instruments. These guide stars help detect atmospheric distortions, allowing adaptive optics to compensate for them and improve the quality of astronomical observations.
Making Good Purchase Decisions
RP Photonics helps to not only to find all relevant suppliers, but also to make good purchase decisions:
Learning Resources
With its comprehensive resources, RP Photonics helps you to well prepare purchase decisions:
- Encyclopedia article: laser guide stars
- Related article: yellow and orange lasers
Aspects to Consider Before Buying
Some aspects to consider before buying laser guide stars: optical power, wavelength, linewidth, beam quality, beam pointing stability, compatibility with adaptive optics, environmental resistance, ease of use, maintenance, safety features, operational lifespan.
For responsible purchase decisions, we recommend applying good practices.
Find Suppliers for Laser Guide Stars
6 suppliers for laser guide stars are listed in the RP Photonics Buyer's Guide, out of which 3 present their product descriptions. Both manufacturers and distributors can be registered.
| Suppliers with Advertising Package presenting their product descriptions | |
|---|---|
 all wavelengths. TOPTICA Photonics AGLochhamer Schlag 19 82166 Gräfelfing Germany See us at SPIE Photonics West 2025 in San Francisco, January 25–30 (booth 1527, 3501, 3603)! |  TOPTICA Projects offers high-power cw Guide Star lasers, delivering more than 20 W of optical output power, tunable around 589 nm (sodium resonance). These systems are currently in use at all major optical telescopes and provide an outstanding performance. |
 No. 888 Jinhu Road High-tech Zone, Changchun 130103 China See us at SPIE Photonics West 2025 in San Francisco, January 25–30 (booth 1361)! |  CNI has developed yellow DPSS lasers emitting at 589 nm with small linewidth. This includes both Q-switched and mode-locked versions with high output powers. |
 Head Office 147 Hymus Boulevard Montreal, Quebec H9R 1E9 Canada See us at SPIE Photonics West 2025 in San Francisco, January 25–30 (booth 4823)! |  MPBC is part of the “GuideStar Alliance,” contributing the Raman fiber amplifier and fiber laser pumps to the most powerful fiber laser guide star systems used in astronomy. The Raman fiber amplifier technology was first developed and patented by the European Southern Observatory. MPB Communications Inc. licensed the technology, and have collaborated to develop reliable, maintenance-free, ruggedized systems installed at ESO’s 4 Laser Guide Star Facility (4LGSF) in Paranal, Chile; KECK, Gemini North, and Subaru Observatories in Mauna Kea, Hawai’i; Gemini South in Cerro Pachón, Chile. We have an expanded single-frequency amplification portfolio, and are able to offer virtually any wavelength where silica-based fibers are transparent, supporting novel applications for the scientific and commercial research community. |
| Other Suppliers | |
|---|---|
| Laserglow Technologies Canada M6C 1C | |
| Qubig GmbH Germany | |
| Vexlum Ltd Finland | |
