Laser Focus World is an industry bedrock—first published in 1965 and still going strong. We publish original articles about cutting-edge advances in lasers, optics, photonics, sensors, and quantum technologies, as well as test and measurement, and the shift currently underway to usher in the photonic integrated circuits, optical interconnects, and copackaged electronics and photonics to deliver the speed and efficiency essential for data centers of the future.

Our 80,000 qualified print subscribers—and 130,000 12-month engaged online audience—trust us to dive in and provide original journalism you won’t find elsewhere covering key emerging areas such as laser-driven inertial confinement fusion, lasers in space, integrated photonics, chipscale lasers, LiDAR, metasurfaces, high-energy laser weaponry, photonic crystals, and quantum computing/sensors/communications. We cover the innovations driving these markets.

Laser Focus World is part of Endeavor Business Media, a division of EndeavorB2B.

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Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast dives deep into the fascinating world of photonics. Our weekly episodes feature interviews and discussions with industry and research experts, providing valuable perspectives on the issues, technologies, and trends shaping the photonics community.

Editorial Advisory Board

  • Professor Andrea M. Armani, University of Southern California
  • Ruti Ben-Shlomi, Ph.D., LightSolver
  • James Butler, Ph.D., Hamamatsu
  • Natalie Fardian-Melamed, Ph.D., Columbia University
  • Justin Sigley, Ph.D., AmeriCOM
  • Professor Birgit Stiller, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, and Leibniz University of Hannover
  • Professor Stephen Sweeney, University of Glasgow
  • Mohan Wang, Ph.D., University of Oxford
  • Professor Xuchen Wang, Harbin Engineering University
  • Professor Stefan Witte, Delft University of Technology

3 Quality Compounders to Target This Week

DUOL Cover Image

Quality compounders are flywheels. Said differently, they’re businesses that generate heaps of profits and consistently reinvest them to produce even more profits. Rinse and repeat.

Companies with these characteristics are our definition of a "blue-chip". On that note, here are three quality compounders that could turbocharge your returns.

Duolingo (DUOL)

Market Cap: $14.78 billion

Founded by a Carnegie Mellon computer science professor and his Ph.D. student, Duolingo (NASDAQ: DUOL) is a mobile app helping people learn new languages.

Why Is DUOL a Good Business?

  1. Has the opportunity to boost monetization through new features and premium offerings as its monthly active users have grown by 36.5% annually over the last two years
  2. Performance over the past three years shows its incremental sales were extremely profitable, as its annual earnings per share growth of 311% outpaced its revenue gains
  3. Impressive free cash flow profitability enables the company to fund new investments or reward investors with share buybacks/dividends, and its growing cash flow gives it even more resources to deploy

Duolingo is trading at $322.64 per share, or 46.2x forward EV/EBITDA. Is now a good time to buy? Find out in our full research report, it’s free for active Edge members.

TransDigm (TDG)

Market Cap: $72.63 billion

Supplying parts for nearly all aircraft currently in service, TransDigm (NYSE: TDG) develops and manufactures components and systems for military and commercial aviation.

Why Are We Backing TDG?

  1. Existing business lines can expand without risky acquisitions as its organic revenue growth averaged 13% over the past two years
  2. Incremental sales significantly boosted profitability as its annual earnings per share growth of 24.9% over the last two years outstripped its revenue performance
  3. Impressive free cash flow profitability enables the company to fund new investments or reward investors with share buybacks/dividends, and its recently improved profitability means it has even more resources to invest or distribute

TransDigm’s stock price of $1,289 implies a valuation ratio of 30.7x forward P/E. Is now the right time to buy? See for yourself in our full research report, it’s free for active Edge members.

Nextracker (NXT)

Market Cap: $11.41 billion

With its technology playing a key role in the massive 1.2 gigawatt Noor Abu Dhabi solar farm project, Nextracker (NASDAQ: NXT) is a provider of solar tracker systems that help solar panels follow the sun.

Why Are We Bullish on NXT?

  1. Average backlog growth of 41.6% over the past two years shows it has a steady sales pipeline that will drive future orders
  2. Free cash flow margin increased by 13.6 percentage points over the last five years, giving the company more capital to invest or return to shareholders
  3. Improving returns on capital reflect management’s ability to monetize investments

At $77 per share, Nextracker trades at 19.8x forward P/E. Is now a good time to buy? Find out in our full research report, it’s free for active Edge members.

High-Quality Stocks for All Market Conditions

Trump’s April 2025 tariff bombshell triggered a massive market selloff, but stocks have since staged an impressive recovery, leaving those who panic sold on the sidelines.

Take advantage of the rebound by checking out our Top 9 Market-Beating Stocks. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025).

Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-small-cap company Comfort Systems (+782% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free. Find your next big winner with StockStory today. Find your next big winner with StockStory today

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