Menhir Photonics involved in US Air Force development

Based in the US State of Colorado, Vescent has been awarded a contract worth 1.25 million US dollars overall by the Unites States Air Force (USAF). As part of this agreement, Vescent will be tasked with developing a special optical frequency comb that will be used for the remote detection of hazardous gases – for both military and non-military applications.

To achieve this aim, Vescent will be working with the Swiss start-up Menhir Photonics, which is headquartered in the Greater Zurich Area, further details of which can be found in a LinkedIn post. The two companies are already on familiar terms due to an existing sales partnership. Menhir Photonics will now provide a special laser for this project. 

Menhir Photonics is a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH). The start-up specializes in manufacturing particularly stable and high-precision ultrafast lasers.

Alongside both Vescent and Menhir Photonics, Octave Photonics, likewise based in the US State of Colorado, is also involved in the project. The company will be tasked with providing a special stabilization module. The three companies have already outlined their development plans as part of a whitepaper.