The new bioresorbable optical fiber Bragg gratings can be used to sense pressure at joints or act as tiny probes that can safely reach and assess the heart and other delicate organs. The sensors could also improve laser-based tumor removal techniques by delivering accurate real-time temperature sensing.
Researchers demonstrated reliable transmission of stable frequency references over 300km fiber optic networks, enabling synchronization of radio telescopes. This technology could benefit astronomy, particularly for the Square Kilometer Array (SKA), allowing scientists to access the frequency standard anywhere.
Researchers have developed a new technique using optical coherence elastography to measure the mechanical properties of heart tissue after a heart attack. The method reveals differences in tissue mechanics between healthy and scarred tissue, providing insights into developing therapies to regenerate damaged heart tissue.
The new instrument uses OCT-based technology with an electrically tunable lens to produce higher quality images of the entire eye. This enables whole-eye imaging, improving patient experience and potentially reducing instrument costs.
The new technique enables the creation of microstructures with high resolution, potentially paving the way for endoscopic printing in people. Researchers are working to develop biocompatible photopolymers and a compact delivery system before the technique can be used clinically.
Researchers developed a compact and inexpensive camera that produces high-resolution 3D images from a single 2D image. The DiffuserCam uses computational imaging to reconstruct 100 million voxels from a 1.3-megapixel image, with potential applications in brain research, self-driving cars, and machine learning.
The new instrument uses micro Raman spectroscopy to detect organic compounds and minerals associated with biological activity. It can analyze samples up to 10 centimeters away with high resolution, significantly improving previous instruments.
Researchers demonstrate prototype smart glass that can switch from reflective to clear with the addition of a liquid, making office buildings more energy efficient and keeping cars cool. The technology could also be used to make roof panels that keep houses warm in winter and cool in summer.
Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh developed glass with high levels of haze and light transmittance, making it suitable for improving solar cell efficiency. The glass can be switched from hazy to clear by applying water, potentially leading to cost-effective smart windows.
Researchers have developed a new crop imaging system that detects chlorophyll fluorescence to monitor plant health and growth. The system can image larger areas than existing technology, providing more accurate assessments of crop health and potential applications for precision agriculture and high-throughput phenotyping.
A new microscope, Firefly, has been developed to study brain activity and neurological disorders. With a 6-millimeter-diameter field of view, the microscope can image neural circuits containing hundreds of cells, allowing for the observation of electrical pulses traveling between neurons.
Researchers develop an approach to super-resolution photoacoustic imaging using advanced statistical analysis, breaking the barriers of conventional imaging hardware. This technique offers a practical and low-cost option for improving biomedical imaging for research and diagnostics.
A new handheld spectrometer, compatible with smartphones, can acquire spectral images of everyday objects and biological samples. It has potential applications in remote medical diagnosis and environmental monitoring, and its compact design makes it easy to use.
Researchers developed a cost-effective optical manipulation platform to assemble electronic components using optoelectronic tweezers. The technique allows parallel micromanipulation of particles and can be used to create safer and faster-charging mobile device batteries.
Researchers developed a single-step, laser-based method to produce hybrid microstructures of silver and silicone. These structures exhibit both electrical conductivity and flexibility, making them suitable for sensing mechanical forces and enabling new types of optical and electrical devices.
Scientists from IBM Research developed a tiny, low-cost methane spectrometer that can detect concentrations as low as 100 parts-per-million. The device has the potential to be used in an inexpensive sensor network to autonomously monitor for natural gas leaks and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Peter Winzer, a renowned expert in optical communication systems, has been awarded the 2018 John Tyndall Award by The Optical Society and the IEEE Photonics Society. His significant advancements involving modulation formats and spatial multiplexing have greatly expanded the field of optical communication systems.
A new imaging system, cryo-MOST, has been developed to monitor brain changes indicative of Alzheimer's disease in mouse models. The system uses autofluorescence to image senile plaques with micron-level resolution, improving the understanding of disease progression and facilitating the development of new treatments.
Scientists at Tsinghua University have developed a new type of optical fiber that can detect joint movements and other types of human motion with high accuracy. The flexible fiber, made from silicone, can withstand extreme stretching and bending without losing its sensing ability.
The 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank, and Richard Henderson for developing cryo-electron microscopy. This technology allows researchers to freeze biomolecules mid-movement and define protein structures at atomic resolution.
The LIGO team detected gravitational waves from colliding black holes, providing a new way to explore the cosmos. Advanced optical interferometers enabled these breakthroughs, allowing scientists to study powerful astrophysical events.
Researchers fine-tune DNA-based thin films to achieve a range of refractive indexes four times greater than silicon, enabling the creation of thinner optical fibers. This could lead to applications in photodynamic therapy, optogenetics, and biosensors.
The LIGO and Virgo Scientific Collaborations have detected a fourth gravitational wave signal, confirming Einstein's theory of general relativity. The detection was made using advanced optical interferometers and marks the first time three observatories have witnessed a merger at once.
The NASA Mars 2020 rover will feature a new SuperCam instrument with Raman spectroscopy capabilities, allowing it to detect carbon-based signatures of organic materials. The instrument uses a conduction-cooled laser system and can produce 1000 shots in one burst, significantly improving sampling efficiency.
A new imaging technique enables precise digitization of clear objects and their surroundings, useful for movie production, virtual reality, and material design. The method uses a robotic arm to record camera locations and combine photographs with CT scans, allowing for pixel-by-pixel comparison and accurate material properties analysis.
A new software algorithm turns low-cost thermal cameras into portable, low-cost breathing monitors for elderly people, sleep apnea sufferers, and babies at risk for SIDS. The system can detect breathing problems in real-world movement and temperature changes.
Researchers at ICFO and MPL create a hollow-core photonic crystal fiber system producing single-cycle IR pulses at an unprecedented repetition rate of 160 kHz. This enables applications such as real-time electron motions observation in single molecules, opening a window to watching subatomic processes during chemical reactions.
Researchers developed a Doppler LIDAR instrument for accurate remote wind measurements, offering high spatial and temporal resolutions. The system's simplified design enhances stability and reduces costs, making it suitable for real-time applications such as hurricane forecasting and aircraft safety.
A collaboration between University of Central Florida and Yale has discovered novel optical behaviors in laser cavities, providing a unique window into fundamental physics. The research demonstrates the role of gain clamping in governing optical responses and reveals fundamental aspects of causality's limits.
Scientists demonstrated 4D quantum encryption over a free-space optical network, encoding two bits of information per photon and tolerating more signal-obscuring noise. The breakthrough paves the way for practical quantum encryption over free-space networks, enabling secure communication between ground-based networks and satellites.
Scientists from the University of Melbourne and Huazhong University of Science and Technology have successfully trapped individual quantum dots using an all-silicon nanoantenna. This innovation has the potential to improve the efficiency of nanosensors in detecting biomarkers at low concentrations.
Researchers have developed a new terahertz imaging approach that combines high-resolution images with fast acquisition speed, enabling early-stage skin cancer detection without tissue biopsies. The technique uses compressed sensing and adaptive imaging algorithms to achieve subwavelength resolution images.
A new non-invasive approach using polarized light can help surgeons identify nerves in real-time, minimizing nerve damage and improving surgical outcomes. The technique has been shown to outperform visual inspection with an accuracy rate of 100% compared to 77%.
Researchers developed laser-driven plasma acceleration using low-energy, ultrashort mid-infrared laser pulses, producing relativistic electron beams. The team's findings demonstrate the potential of long-wavelength femtosecond lasers for compact and high-repetition-rate accelerators.
A new technique can reveal weak areas in ceramic thermal barrier coatings, predicting coating lifetime and improving engine efficiency. The approach uses GHz illumination to analyze the coatings' refractive index changes with applied strain.
Researchers use optical coherence tomography to analyze the size, number, and orientation of metal flakes in industrial car paint, improving efficiency in automotive finishing processes. The technique also shows promise for analyzing pharmaceutical coatings.
A new optical clearing technique allows researchers to study the 3D structure of blood clots, which could lead to a better understanding of heart attacks and stroke. The technique enables microscopic imaging up to 1 millimeter into a clot, providing insights into clot contraction and formation.
Researchers developed a high-speed imaging technique that reveals molecular organization and chemical makeup in living samples, enabling real-time observation of disease progression. This technique could improve understanding of early disease stages and lead to targeted drug treatments.
Researchers from the Naval Research Laboratory have created a new LiDAR system that can survey obscured ground using gated digital holography methods. This technology allows for 3D topography surveys through foliage or other obstacles, with potential applications in disaster relief and self-driving cars.
Scientists develop a simple method to make graphene oxide smart, allowing it to bend in response to changing humidity without external power. They created spider-like crawlers and claw robots that move in response to environmental changes.
Researchers developed a new antireflection film using moth-eye-like nanostructures, exhibiting low reflection and excellent optical behavior. The film also shows improved scratch resistance and self-cleaning capabilities, making it suitable for flexible displays.
A new type of 3D display, mimicking the depth cues our eyes are accustomed to in the real-world, improves viewing comfort in VR headsets and AR glasses. The innovative display module, measuring only 1 x 2 inches, produces depth cues that create a unified 3D image, eliminating vergence-accommodation conflict.
Ground-based measurements of quantum states sent by a laser aboard a satellite demonstrate the feasibility of a satellite-based quantum communication network. This breakthrough could enable an extremely secure way to encrypt data sent over long distances, potentially cutting development time in half.
The Journal has published 3,000 articles per year with an incredibly short submission-to-publication time of <65 days. It plays a crucial role in shaping the evolution of scientific publishing and enables quick dissemination of groundbreaking research.
Researchers from Microsoft Research and HRL Laboratories developed a method to curve off-the-shelf image sensors, significantly improving digital camera image quality. The new approach enables the creation of cameras with curved sensors that produce higher resolution images across the entire field of view.
A newly developed fiber optic distributed sensor can detect changes in temperature or strain at 1 million points over a 10-kilometer optical fiber in under 20 minutes, improving early detection of structural issues. This faster technology has the potential to prevent failures and provide more time for evacuation.
Researchers have developed a handheld fiber optic probe that uses nonlinear imaging techniques to diagnose cancer without tissue staining. The probe can acquire multiple images simultaneously and has been tested on various tissue samples, showing promising results for identifying tumor borders.
A new laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) approach refines detection of mercury in landfill leachate, offering rapid results without generating hazardous chemicals. The technique's sensitivity is improved through a double-pulse setup, allowing for the detection of lower mercury concentrations.
Researchers have developed a new solution to tracking objects hidden behind scattering media by analyzing fluctuations in optical 'noise' created by their movement. The approach can advance real-time remote sensing for military and biomedical applications.
Researchers have developed a new reconfigurable device that can emit thermal infrared light in a fully controlled manner, enabling efficient energy harvesting from waste heat. The technology has potential applications in thermophotovoltaics and could be used to convert heat into energy for various purposes.