M Squared Lasers Ltd recently received an Innovation Award from the Institute of Physics (IOP) for their contribution to laser technology with the development of SolsTiS, a compact and fully automated laser toolkit offering unprecedented tuning range and unrivalled power.
Their Innovation Award was one of five awarded to commercial businesses across the UK in recognition of their successes in using innovative applications of physics.
The awards were presented at a reception in the Churchill Rooms at the Palace of Westminster, which was attended by a selection of MPs, Lords, policy-makers, business leaders and researchers. The event was sponsored by Alok Sharma, MP for Reading West.
Founded in 2006, M Squared Lasers Ltd now has more than 150 customers globally, has reached over £14m through sales and has created 50 full-time jobs in Scotland.
SolsTiS is a highly detailed instrument and helps scientists probe deeper into the secrets of science by providing the ultra-pure light needed in experiments with cold atoms.
Before SolsTiS, light was not pure enough and lasers could not provide the ultra-narrow line-width, low-noise output required to probe complex quantum systems. Research in atomic clocks, teleportation demonstrations and antimatter experiments are some examples of where leading researchers around the world are using this breakthrough technology.
Professor Roy Sambles, President of the IOP, said about the event: “The winners of the 2015 IOP Innovation Awards are excellent examples of how innovative physics can address national challenges.
“The success of these companies drives not only employment, economic growth and productivity, but also advances in such disparate sectors as energy, quantum technologies and national security.”
“I congratulate all of the winners for their outstanding achievements and I wish them every success in the future.”
The IOP Innovation Awards are a unique celebration of commercial success built on physics. For more information, go to www.iop.org/innovation
