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Press Release Detail: TXP5000 – A Flexible, Expandable Test & Measurement System Thorlabs GmbH, a leading manufacturer of innovative fiber optic instruments, announces the introduction of a dynamic test & measurement system of unsurpassed versatility. The TXP5000 covers a multitude of optical applications, including the control and measurement of laser diodes, light sources and polarization. The TXP5000 is designed to work fluidly in both R&D and large volume production environments, making it an excellent test and measurement solution. The 19” wide high-density TXP5016 chassis with 16 slots and full Ethernet control is ideally suited for high channel count applications such as laser diode life testing or generating a densely packed light comb. The 4-slot TXP5004 provides a USB interface and is an easy-to-use and cost-effective laboratory instrument. The modern system architecture features an intelligent card concept resulting in low-cost but high performance tailor-made systems. The laser diode controller cards of the TXP’s ITC series are space-saving combination laser diode current and TEC current controllers. All three models excel in low noise as well as ultra-stable control of the injection current and offer extensive protection features for no-risk laser diode operation. They are available with laser diode current ranges up ±200 mA, ±500 mA and ±1 A at ±1.5 A / 5.25 W cooling capacity each. For DWDM test applications, the cards of the TXP LS series provide DFB laser sources from 1470 to 1620 nm, with center wavelengths on the 50 GHz ITU.T-grid and output powers of 10, 20 or 40 mW. The optical power can be tuned over a 10 dB range and the wavelength over ± 1nm. All cards offer excellent stability, both in wavelength (< 10 pm over 24 h) and output power (< 0.01 dB / 24 h), and feature internal modulation capabilities for flexible coherence control. Other wavelengths are provided on request. The IPM5300 inline polarimeter card enables high-speed measurement of the state of polarization (SOP) with a low insertion loss (<0.5 dB) and an excellent accuracy of ± 0.25° (on the Poincaré sphere) over a large dynamic range (50 dB) and with a sampling rate up to 1 MSample/s. It is complemented by a new polarization controller, DPC5500, which provides deterministic control of the output SOP, not just a polarization transformation. It is based on a fiber squeezer and the IPM5300 inline polarimeter and locks a polarization state to a user-defined target state with an accuracy of 1° within 1 ms. The DPC5500 can also be used as a polarization scrambler, polarization switch or polarization tracer that follows a prescribed sequence of polarization states. The IPM5300 and DPC5500 serve as building blocks for advanced measurement tools, such as PMD and PDL meters. The TXP5016, ITC5000 and LS5000 series cards are readily available; the TXP5004, the IPM5300 and the DPC5500 will be released in February 2004. About Thorlabs, Inc. Thorlabs specializes in the building blocks for laser and fiber optic systems. From opto-mechanical components to telecom test instrumentation, Thorlabs’ extensive manufacturing capabilities produce high-quality, well-priced components and devices for next-day delivery. Founded in 1989, the company remains a leader in the development and creation of advanced optical products for the commercial and research marketplaces. The company is headquartered in Newton, New Jersey, and has subsidiaries in Tokyo, Japan and Munich. Thorlabs, GmbH is headquartered in Munich and serves as both the European sales office and the innovation center for the Thorlabs instrumentation line. For more information about Thorlabs, Inc. please visit www.thorlabs.com or for more information about our TXP product line please visit www.txp5000.com or contact Juergen Hartmann at +49-8131-5956-11, or jhartmann@thorlabs.com.