Steve Buckley

Steven G. Buckley, PhD, is the General Manager of the Applied Systems business at Ocean Insight, an affiliate associate professor at the University of Washington, and has started and advised numerous companies in spectroscopy and in applications of machine learning. He has approximately 40 peer-reviewed publications and 6 patents. His work in practical optical spectroscopy, such as LIBS, Raman, and TDL spectroscopy, dovetails with the coverage in this column, which reviews methods (new and old) in laser-based spectroscopy and optical sensing.

Articles

Where Perception Meets Reality: The Science of Measuring Color

October 01, 2022

Accurately measuring and quantifying the perception of color is an ongoing challenge for scientists, but understanding spectroscopic techniques can help standardize color measurements.

Detecting Methane Emissions: How Spectroscopy is Contributing to Sustainability Efforts

April 01, 2022

Controlling methane is one of the highest-impact ways to reduce climate impacts, so its accurate measurement is essential. Spectroscopy offers valuable tools for this task.

Catching Covid: Rapid Spectroscopic Methods Show Promise

January 01, 2022

The Covid-19 pandemic has led to extraordinary developments of both testing methods and vaccines. Can spectroscopy play a role in next-generation testing for Covid and other pathogens?

Geochemical Analysis Using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

October 01, 2021

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is an ideal method for elemental analysis of geological samples, and has been used by NASA on the Mars rovers. This article details the methodology and the most successful calibration and quantification methods to date.

A Brush with Frequency Comb Spectroscopy: A Developing Story

April 01, 2021

A frequency comb is a laser source, with evenly spaced narrow lines, potentially useful for spectroscopy applications, particularly as a source or for alignment of the wavelength axis.

Narrowband Visible Light: The OPO Reigns

January 01, 2021

Tunable narrowband light sources are essential for measuring fluorescence, reaction energetics, and other challenging measurements in chemical, biological, and physical systems. In particular, the optical parametric oscillator (OPO) is an indispensable tool.

Lasers at the Intersection of Material Processing and Spectroscopy, Leading to Developments in Laser Ablation and LIBS

October 01, 2020

Advances in lasers are expanding the capabilities of LIBS and laser ablation techniques.

Light Matters . . . 35 Years of New Sources for Spectroscopy

July 20, 2020

On the occasion of Spectroscopy’s 35th birthday, I thought it would be an interesting opportunity to consider the amazing explosion in light sources for spectroscopy over the last few decades.

Spectroscopy

The Rise of the Upconversion Materials

January 01, 2020

An important class of nanoparticles made of “upconversion” materials has found a central role in sensing. These nanoparticles are used to convert longer-wavelength photons into shorter-wavelength fluorescence to detect temperature, pH, gas molecules, ions, and trace biomolecules.

Spectroscopy

Advances in the Applications of Lasers for Bioimaging: Light Sheet Microscopy

October 01, 2019

Lasers allow advances for investigation of biological samples. Discussed here are some of the most interesting recent developments in light sheet microscopy for bioimaging, including a technique that allows for unique viewing of large, intact samples including biopsies.