Colophon

How this site is built, hosted, and measured.

Stack

Photonica is a statically generated Next.js site. Every article, glossary entry, and material page is an MDX file in a Git repository; there is no CMS and no database. Math is rendered at build time with KaTeX, interactive plots use Recharts, and search is a client-side Pagefind index, so nothing you type in the search box leaves your browser. Hosting is on Vercel.

The calculators run entirely in your browser too. Your data (LIV sweeps, threshold currents, whatever you paste in) is never uploaded anywhere.

Type and design

Body text in articles is set in Source Serif 4; the interface uses IBM Plex Sans, and code and figure labels use JetBrains Mono. The look aims for a lab notebook crossed with a good reference book: paper white, near-black ink, one accent color, thin rules. The accent is a burnt amber, chosen to mark links and labels without competing with the text at length.

No dark patterns

No cookies, no tracking pixels, no popups, no paywall, no “subscribe before you leave.” Analytics are aggregate-only and cookieless (details in the privacy policy). The site is meant to feel like a reference shelf, not a funnel.

Corrections

Errors get fixed, and substantive fixes are noted on the page rather than silently swapped. Report one at hello@photonica.io. Corrections are credited on request.