Knovel announced yesterday the launch of a new subject area – optics and photonics – bringing the total number of subject areas it offers to 25. The company is a provider of web-based applications that integrate technical information with analytical and search tools. Its new subject area, geared toward the modeling and design of optical components and systems, provides technological background, guidelines, calculations and best practice information suitable for engineers developing new ways to improve products that incorporate optical systems and components within their designs. It is most useful in discrete manufacturing. For example, companies in the aerospace and defense markets can use the technology for heads-up displays, and navigation and targeting systems, while industrial equipment manufacturers incorporate smarter sensing systems and faster data transmission capabilities into their products. “The ever-growing use of optical and photonic technology across industries has increased the need for engineers across disciplines to expand their knowledge related to sourcing and designing,” said Meagan H. Cook, director of content strategy for Knovel. “The launch of Knovel’s optics and photonics subject area is the result of customer demand.” The subject area has been launched with 78 reference titles from notable societies and publishers, including Cambridge University Press, Elsevier, SPIE, Springer, Wiley and World Scientific, among others. Its subtopic areas include biomedical optics, communications, geometric and physical optics, information processing, microfabrication and photolithography, nanophotonics, optical materials, optoelectronics, optomechanics, quantum optics, signal and image processing and sensors, and vision science. For more information, visit: www.knovel.com