Sydor Instruments, a US-based manufacturer of ultra-fast imaging systems in has been awarded a major contract to supply nine Optical Streak Cameras to the UK government. The cameras will be an integral part of Project Orion, a new research centre at AWE (Atomic Weapons Establishment) in Aldermaston, UK.
Project Orion is a world-class laser facility for the creation and study of hot dense matter and is the successor to HELEN (High Energy Laser Embodying Neodymium), which is reaching the end of its useful life. Sydor Instruments was chosen as the preferred supplier to manufacture the unique technology necessary to ensure accurate results for the project’s advancement.
“Sydor Instruments is the only company that could provide the critical calibrated software, which measures the power balance of high-intensity lasers used in high-energy physics, to assist the UK with the research,” said Michael Pavia, President of Sydor Instruments. “Sydor’s special technology is what draws customers world-wide to Rochester. The Sydor Optical Streak System is the only self-calibrating streak camera in the world.”
Sydor delivered the first of two camera systems early this year. This order represents an additional nine systems bringing the total order value with AWE to well over $3 million.
Sydor expects to add to its highly technical team in order to fulfil this contract through the end of 2009. “This creates a need for more engineers and technicians to help build these complex systems over the next year and a half,” Pavia said.
Sydor Instruments is the exclusive manufacturer of the ROSS (Rochester Optical Streak System) platform, which was manufactured through a licensing agreement with the University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics.
The Sydor ROSS camera system high-speed “snapshot” occurs in less than a billionth of a second. Sydor’s advanced software is the only technology that is designed to capture precise snapshots of transient events.
The platform of the Sydor ROSS Streak Camera delivers the highest precision and accuracy enabling detection of single photoelectron events and world-class performance in the most demanding applications. The ROSS camera system is designed to be the streak camera for the next 30 years.
The ability of Sydor Instruments to tailor a specialized streak camera supports the company’s mission to provide custom diagnostics and ultra fast imaging systems for a variety of applications in science and industry.
Sydor Instruments have been represented by Armstrong Optical Ltd of Northampton for the last three years and Armstrong Optical are responsible for offering service and support for the ROSS cameras and all other Sydor instrumentation and optical components.