 |
|
Researchers lay out vision for lighting 'revolution'
December 19, 2008Troy, N.Y. - A "revolution" in the way we illuminate our world is imminent, according to a paper published this week by two professors at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Innovations in photonics and solid state lighting will lead to trillions of dollars in cost savings, along with a massive reduction in the amount of energy required to light homes and businesses around the globe, the researchers forecast.
A new generation of lighting devices based on light-emitting diodes (LEDs) will supplant the common light bulb in coming years, the paper suggests. In addition to the environmental and cost benefits of LEDs, the technology is expected to enable a wide range of advances in areas as diverse as healthcare, transportation systems, digital displays, and computer networking.
"What the transistor meant to the development of electronics, the LED means to the field of photonics. This core device has the potential to revolutionize how we use light," wrote co-authors E. Fred Schubert and Jong Kyu Kim.
Schubert is the Wellfleet Senior Constellation Professor of Future Chips at Rensselaer, and heads the university's National Science Foundation-funded Smart Lighting Center. Kim is a research assistant professor of electrical, computer, and systems engineering. The paper, titled "Transcending the replacement paradigm of solid-state lighting," will be published in the Dec. 22, 2008 issue of Optics Express.
To read the full paper, visit: http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?uri=oe-16-26-21835.
Researchers are able to control every aspect of light generated by LEDs, allowing the light sources to be tweaked and optimized for nearly any situation, Schubert and Kim said. In general LEDs will require 20 times less power than today's conventional light bulbs, and five times less power than "green" compact fluorescent bulbs.
If all of the world's light bulbs were replaced with LEDs for a period of 10 years, Schubert and Kim estimate the following benefits would be realized:
* Total energy consumption would be reduced by 1,929.84 joules
* Electrical energy consumption would be reduced by terawatt hours
* Financial savings of $1.83 trillion
* Carbon dioxide emissions would be reduced by 10.68 gigatons
* Crude oil consumption would be reduced by 962 million barrels
* The number of required global power plants would be reduced by 280
With all of the promise and potential of LEDs, Schubert and Kim said it is important not to pigeonhole or dismiss smart lighting technology as a mere replacement for conventional light bulbs. The paper is a call to arms for scientists and engineers, and stresses that advances in photonics will position solid state lighting as a catalyst for unexpected, currently unimaginable technological advances.
"Deployed on a large scale, LEDs have the potential to tremendously reduce pollution, save energy, save financial resources, and add new and unprecedented functionalities to photonic devices. These factors make photonics what could be termed a benevolent tsunami, an irresistible wave, a solution to many global challenges currently faced by humanity and will be facing even more in the years to come," the researchers wrote. "Transcending the replacement paradigm will open up a new chapter in photonics: Smart lighting sources that are controllable, tunable, intelligent, and communicative."
Possible smart lighting applications include rapid biological cell identification, interactive roadways, boosting plant growth, and better supporting human circadian rhythms to reduce an individual's dependency on sleep-inducing drugs or reduce the risk of certain types of cancer.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
"What the transistor meant to the development of electronics, the LED means to the field of photonics. This core device has the potential to revolutionize how we use light," wrote co-authors E. Fred Schubert and Jong Kyu Kim.
Schubert is the Wellfleet Senior Constellation Professor of Future Chips at Rensselaer, and heads the university's National Science Foundation-funded Smart Lighting Center. Kim is a research assistant professor of electrical, computer, and systems engineering. The paper, titled "Transcending the replacement paradigm of solid-state lighting," will be published in the Dec. 22, 2008 issue of Optics Express.
To read the full paper, visit: http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?uri=oe-16-26-21835.
Researchers are able to control every aspect of light generated by LEDs, allowing the light sources to be tweaked and optimized for nearly any situation, Schubert and Kim said. In general LEDs will require 20 times less power than today's conventional light bulbs, and five times less power than "green" compact fluorescent bulbs.
If all of the world's light bulbs were replaced with LEDs for a period of 10 years, Schubert and Kim estimate the following benefits would be realized:
* Total energy consumption would be reduced by 1,929.84 joules
* Electrical energy consumption would be reduced by terawatt hours
* Financial savings of $1.83 trillion
* Carbon dioxide emissions would be reduced by 10.68 gigatons
* Crude oil consumption would be reduced by 962 million barrels
* The number of required global power plants would be reduced by 280
With all of the promise and potential of LEDs, Schubert and Kim said it is important not to pigeonhole or dismiss smart lighting technology as a mere replacement for conventional light bulbs. The paper is a call to arms for scientists and engineers, and stresses that advances in photonics will position solid state lighting as a catalyst for unexpected, currently unimaginable technological advances.
"Deployed on a large scale, LEDs have the potential to tremendously reduce pollution, save energy, save financial resources, and add new and unprecedented functionalities to photonic devices. These factors make photonics what could be termed a benevolent tsunami, an irresistible wave, a solution to many global challenges currently faced by humanity and will be facing even more in the years to come," the researchers wrote. "Transcending the replacement paradigm will open up a new chapter in photonics: Smart lighting sources that are controllable, tunable, intelligent, and communicative."
Possible smart lighting applications include rapid biological cell identification, interactive roadways, boosting plant growth, and better supporting human circadian rhythms to reduce an individual's dependency on sleep-inducing drugs or reduce the risk of certain types of cancer.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Photonics Current Events and Photonics News RSSPushing light beyond its known limits
Scientists at the University of Adelaide have made a breakthrough that could change the world's thinking on what light is capable of.
Transforming Nanowires Into Nano-Tools Using Cation Exchange Reactions
A team of engineers from the University of Pennsylvania has transformed simple nanowires into reconfigurable materials and circuits, demonstrating a novel, self-assembling method for chemically creating nanoscale structures that are not possible to grow or obtain otherwise.
Caltech scientists first to trap light and sound vibrations together in nanocrystal
Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have created a nanoscale crystal device that, for the first time, allows scientists to confine both light and sound vibrations in the same tiny space.
Mantis shrimps could show us the way to a better DVD
The remarkable eyes of a marine crustacean could inspire the next generation of DVD and CD players, according to a new study from the University of Bristol published today in Nature Photonics.
Discovery Brings New Type of Fast Computers Closer to Reality
Physicists at UC San Diego have successfully created speedy integrated circuits with particles called "excitons" that operate at commercially cold temperatures, bringing the possibility of a new type of extremely fast computer based on excitons closer to reality.
A tiny, tunable well of light, and a string theorist's toolbox
Photonics, the science of using photons to carry information, promises to continue improving a wide variety of technologies, from computing to high-speed communication.
Optics made to measure
If you are in the business of developing high-speed electronic components, it pays not to lose sight of the electrons. To keep track of them you will need to use dedicated optical elements, such as those now on offer from UltraFast Innovations GmbH.
Light at the speed of a bicycle and much more
The speed of light, 300 million metres per second, was long thought an immutable constant and has defined our understanding of matter and energy but recent research in the area of optics and photonics is proving that we can manipulate light to some ingenious and hugely lucrative ends.
Laser pulses control single electrons in complex molecules
Predatory fish are well aware of the problem: In a swarm of small fish it is hard to isolate prey. A similar situation can be found in the microcosm of atoms and molecules, whose behavior is influenced by "swarms" of electrons.
Open wide and say 'zap'
A group of researchers in Australia and Taiwan has developed a new way to analyze the health of human teeth using lasers.
More Photonics Current Events and Photonics News Articles
 |
Fundamentals of Photonics (Wiley Series in Pure and Applied Optics) by Bahaa E. A. Saleh (Author), Malvin Carl Teich (Author) Now in a new full-color edition, Fundamentals of Photonics, Second Edition is a self-contained and up-to-date introductory-level textbook that thoroughly surveys this rapidly expanding area of engineering and applied physics. Featuring a logical blend of theory and applications, coverage includes detailed accounts of the primary theories of light, including ray optics, wave optics, electromagnetic optics, and photon optics, as well as the interaction of photons and atoms, and semiconductor optics. Presented at increasing levels of complexity, preliminary sections build toward more advanced topics, such as Fourier optics and holography, guided-wave and fiber optics, semiconductor sources and detectors, electro-optic and acousto-optic devices, nonlinear optical devices, optical... |
 |
Photonics: Optical Electronics in Modern Communications (The Oxford Series in Electrical and Computer Engineering) by Amnon Yariv (Author), Pochi Yeh (Author) Due to its central role in modern communications technologies, photonics--or optical electronics--has evolved dynamically over the last ten years. Photonics by Amnon Yariv and Pochi Yeh is extensively revised and updated to keep pace with this unprecedented development. Now more tailored to optical communication, the sixth edition integrates material on generating and manipulating optical radiation and designing photonic components for the transmission of information. It also presents a broader theoretical underpinning and more explanations of mathematical derivations than the previous edition. The text describes the basic physics and principles of operation of major photonic components in optical communications and electronics. These components include optical resonators, various... |
 |
Photonics and Lasers: An Introduction by Richard S. Quimby (Author) An introduction to photonics and lasers that does not rely on complex mathematics This book evolved from a series of courses developed by the author and taught in the areas of lasers and photonics. This thoroughly classroom-tested work fills a unique need for students, instructors, and industry professionals in search of an introductory-level book that covers a wide range of topics in these areas. Comparable books tend to be aimed either too high or too low, or they cover only a portion of the topics that are needed for a comprehensive treatment. Photonics and Lasers is divided into four parts: * Propagation of Light * Generation and Detection of Light * Laser Light * Light-Based Communication The author has ensured... |
 |
Physics of Photonic Devices (Wiley Series in Pure and Applied Optics) by Shun Lien Chuang (Author) The most up-to-date book available on the physics of photonic devices This new edition of Physics of Photonic Devices incorporates significant advancements in the field of photonics that have occurred since publication of the first edition (Physics of Optoelectronic Devices). New topics covered include a brief history of the invention of semiconductor lasers, the Lorentz dipole method and metal plasmas, matrix optics, surface plasma waveguides, optical ring resonators, integrated electroabsorption modulator-lasers, and solar cells. It also introduces exciting new fields of research such as: surface plasmonics and micro-ring resonators; the theory of optical gain and absorption in quantum dots and quantum wires and their applications in semiconductor lasers; and novel microcavity... |
 |
Photonics Spectra by Laurin Publishing Company Inc International journal of optics, electro-optics, lasers, fiber optics and imaging technology. Directed to scientists, engineers, technicians and management personnel of the photonics industry. |
 |
Photonic Crystals: Molding the Flow of Light (Second Edition) by John D. Joannopoulos (Author), Steven G. Johnson (Author), Joshua N. Winn (Author), Robert D. Meade (Author) Since it was first published in 1995, Photonic Crystals has remained the definitive text for both undergraduates and researchers on photonic band-gap materials and their use in controlling the propagation of light. This newly expanded and revised edition covers the latest developments in the field, providing the most up-to-date, concise, and comprehensive book available on these novel materials and their applications. Starting from Maxwell's equations and Fourier analysis, the authors develop the theoretical tools of photonics using principles of linear algebra and symmetry, emphasizing analogies with traditional solid-state physics and quantum theory. They then investigate the unique phenomena that take place within photonic crystals at defect sites and surfaces, from one to... |
 |
Genesis (Photonic Mix) Crimson (Primary Contributor) |
 |
FLAT - Low Profile Wall Mount Bracket for Photonics Thinscreen 24" 602600 24" LCD HDTV TV by Skakawack Ultra-slim design keeps your LCD or plasma tight to the wall, giving boardrooms, digital signage, lobbies, or home theater a professional look. |
|
Recorded Contact by Photonic | |
 |
Optics and Photonics: An Introduction by F. Graham Smith (Author), Terry A. King (Author), Dan Wilkins (Author) The Second Edition of this successful textbook provides a clear, well-written introduction to both the fundamental principles of optics and the key aspects of photonics to show how the subject has developed in the last few decades, leading to many modern applications. Optics and Photonics: An Introduction, Second Edition thus provides a complete undergraduate course on optics in a single integrated text, and is an essential resource for all undergraduate physics, science and engineering students taking a variety of optics based courses. Specific changes for this edition include: New material on modern optics and photonics Rearrangement of chapters to give a logical progression, comprising groups of chapters on geometric optics, wave optics and photonics ... |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |