Researchers from Facebook's Connectivity Lab have demonstrated a new approach for detecting optical communication signals, overcoming the primary challenge of precisely pointing a small laser beam at a tiny light detector. The new technology uses fluorescent materials to collect and concentrate light onto a photodetector, achieving dat...
Researchers in China created a portable and high-performance device to detect glucose levels using fiber optic biosensors integrated with microfluidic chips. The device can detect glucose concentrations as low as 1 nM, making it an appealing technology for early diagnosis of diabetes via monitoring glucose content within sweat.
PolyU has achieved the world's fastest optical communications speed for data centres by reaching 240 G bit/s over 2km, reducing transmission cost per unit to one-fourth. This breakthrough enables widespread use of immersive videos and new IoT applications.
University of Illinois researchers have achieved record-breaking speeds for fiber-optic data transmission, reaching 57 Gbps at room temperature and 50 Gbps at higher temperatures. This technology could enable faster data transfer and use of large data streams in applications such as virtual reality.
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Researchers have demonstrated a unique optical trapping system that can efficiently couple high-power laser light into hollow-core fibers. The system uses a self-aligning method to trap tiny tapered glass fiber inside the hollow core, with potential applications in laser cutting and basic physics research.
EPFL researchers have developed a new method to monitor bridge stability using optical fibers, leveraging Photoshop filters to boost signal-to-noise ratios. This approach enables more precise measurements while reducing equipment costs, paving the way for real-time monitoring of infrastructure.
Researchers from University College London have developed a new optical receiver that simplifies the design and reduces costs, enabling faster fiber-to-the-home broadband technology. The novel receiver can support speeds of up to 10 Gb/s, making it futureproof against growing data demands.
Researchers demonstrate ghost imaging technique in time domain for ultrafast optical signals in optical fibers. The method enables reconstruction of perfect copies of ultrafast signals using correlation of intensity fluctuations and total power of modulated signals.
NASA engineers have developed a groundbreaking integrated-photonics modem that will enable high-speed, laser-based communications at unprecedented rates. The modem is expected to transform industries such as telecommunications, medical imaging, advanced manufacturing, and national defense.
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Researchers have developed new humidity sensors with antibacterial properties to prevent biofilm formation and biofouling in high-humidity environments. The sensors combine nanotechnology and fibre optics, offering biocompatibility, low cost, and long-distance measuring capabilities.
Researchers have created a new type of liquid crystal elastomer that can precisely emit laser light without mirrors, while being stretched. This innovation could lead to the development of remote sensors and precisely tunable light sources for various applications.
The TUM team developed the RateX method, which overcomes two serious challenges in information theory by bringing together three essential functions. Their approach could enhance flexibility and reduce costs in various communication systems, including wireless, wireline, optical fiber, and satellite systems.
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Researchers developed a method to speed up optical fibers by digitally re-twisting data streams, using a technique inspired by MIMO technology in radio communication. The breakthrough could solve the insatiable needs of data-driven social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube.
Researchers have created a three-fingered soft robotic hand with embedded optical sensors, allowing it to detect forces of less than a tenth of a newton and determine where its fingertips are in contact. The new stretchable optical sensing material could be used in a soft robotic skin for even more feedback.
Researchers from Southampton's Optoelectronics Research Centre demonstrated the use of optical phase conjugation to improve transmission capacity in long-haul optical systems. They successfully doubled transmission capacity using a dedicated dark fibre network, showcasing potential for high-capacity signals over long distances.
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A team of researchers developed a self-healing bioplastic from squid proteins, which can be repaired with warm water. The material exhibits improved durability for applications such as medical implants and fiber-optic cables.
A team at the University of Warsaw has developed a femtosecond laser that generates ultrashort pulses even under extreme conditions. The device uses an optical fiber to generate pulses with minimal sensitivity to external factors, making it highly dependable and suitable for industrial applications.
Researchers developed a smartphone sensor using surface plasmon resonance to detect biomolecules, including those for pregnancy testing and diabetes monitoring. The sensor is tiny, affordable, and comparable in sensitivity to current equipment.
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Researchers discovered a way to suppress nonlinear distortions in optical fibers, eliminating signal regeneration needs. This breakthrough enables more bandwidth availability and increased data transmission.
Electrical engineers have developed a method to increase the distance information can travel in fiber optic cables without distorting the signal. By using wideband frequency combs, they can predict and reversible crosstalk between communication channels, enabling longer transmission distances and cheaper networks.
Researchers have developed a miniature fiber-optic microscope that can penetrate deeply into the brain of a living mouse. This breakthrough technology allows scientists to study brain function in unprecedented detail and has potential human applications in understanding brain disease and developing new treatments.
Researchers use a novel technique involving focused light beams to study the activity of rods, the light-sensitive cells of the retina. They found that the electrical response of the nerve changes depending on the region of the cell being hit by the light.
Researchers develop a new detection scheme to create an optical gyroscope with a tiny size, potentially enabling compact navigation systems for aerospace technology. The new design allows for improved sensitivity, opening up opportunities for micro-payloads in space missions.
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Researchers successfully created and controlled defect pairs in liquid crystals using optical tweezers. This achievement opens the door to controlling light flow using specific frequencies in liquid crystal photonic microdevices, with potential applications in photonics.
Researchers at Elhuyar Fundazioa have developed new photonic systems for optical fiber sensing applications, enabling remote monitoring of sensors up to 253 kilometers away. The systems use compact, electrically passive sensors that can be embedded in the fiber and are immune to electromagnetic fields.
Researchers have developed speciality glass optical fibres that can mimic the brain's neural networks and synapses, enabling faster signal transmission speeds and lower power consumption. This breakthrough could pave the way for scalable brain-like computing systems.
Researchers at the University of Sydney developed a method to selectively enhance or inhibit optical nonlinearities in photonic chips, which can be useful for both hindering and helping signal processing applications. This breakthrough uses a grating structure on chip scale devices to control optical nonlinearity.
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Researchers at UCL have developed a new method to process fibre optic signals, which can correct corrupted data and increase the useful capacity of fibres. This technique has the potential to double the distance data can travel error-free through sub-marine cables.
The system measures temperature of mechanical or cutting processes without access to conventional techniques, using a fiber optic pyrometer. It determines temperature by radiation measurement and can withstand high temperatures, enabling analysis of tool wear and optimization of productivity.
Scientists from the University of Southampton have developed a novel approach to generate spectrally-efficient modulation format signals using direct current modulated lasers. This innovation avoids costly external modulator schemes, reducing power consumption and increasing efficiency.
Researchers developed ultra-thin LCD screens that maintain 3D images without power consumption, ideal for e-book readers and battery status monitors. The technology uses bi-stable displays to store an image for several years with low power consumption.
Engineers at MIT and Columbia University developed a method to predict cable coil patterns using laboratory experiments, computer-graphics technology, and theoretical analyses. The research aims to help design better deployment strategies for fiber-optic cables and prevent transmission glitches and data loss.
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Researchers in Italy have developed a new technology using distributed optical fiber sensors to monitor soil slopes and detect the onset of landslides. This innovation can help mitigate devastating losses of life and property by providing early warnings, making it an entirely new tool for landslide risk monitoring.
Researchers at UC San Diego built the first 500 GHz photon switch, enabling ultrafast optical control and opening a new class of sensitive receivers. The team developed a measurement technique to resolve sub-nanometer fluctuations in the fiber core, critical for fast switching and processing.
Researchers at the University of Alberta have developed a non-metallic metamaterial that enables the compression and containment of light in smaller cables. This breakthrough could lead to radical increases in computing speeds and reduced energy use by electronic devices.
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Researchers from Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science used diffusion tensor imaging to analyze the optic radiation in 13 healthy volunteers. The study found that the optic radiation fiber tract volume was approximately 0.16% and fractional anisotropy value was about 0.53, enabling accurate detection of probability pathways.
Researchers have developed a new type of optical fiber that can guide UV laser light without being damaged. The fiber has a hollow core with a diameter of 20 µm, which allows for single-mode transmission and reduces loss. This breakthrough enables new applications in precision spectroscopy, fluorescence microscopy, and process plasmas.
Researchers have created an all-optical high-temperature sensor for gas flow measurements that operates at record-setting temperatures above 800 degrees Celsius. The technology integrates optical heating elements, sensors, and energy delivery cables within a single fiber, enabling simultaneous flow/temperature sensors.
The magnetic hose, made of a ferromagnetic cylinder covered by a superconductor material, efficiently transports magnetic fields. The device has potential applications in quantum computing, enabling individual control over quantum systems.
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Researchers used diffusion tensor imaging to measure the volume of optic radiation fiber tracts in 13 healthy volunteers. The study found that the measured optic radiation fiber tract volume was approximately 0.16% and fractional anisotropy value was around 0.53.
Physicists at Harvard University have successfully created quantum switches that can be turned on and off using a single photon. This technological achievement could lead to the creation of highly secure quantum networks, enabling perfectly secure communications over long distances.
The CU-Boulder toilet uses concentrated sunlight to heat human waste, disinfect pathogens, and produce biochar, which can increase crop yields and sequester carbon dioxide. The project aims to improve sanitation in developing countries, reducing deaths from food and water tainted with fecal matter.
New algorithm assesses risks and determines safest locations for cloud data refuge, mitigating impacts of disasters on networks. Integrated wireless-optical system enables temporary emergency networks with high-speed wireless technology.
Engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee have developed novel optical fibers that can transmit high-quality images, rivaling those of current commercial endoscopy imaging fibers. The fibers utilize a unique architecture that traps multiple beams of light, resulting in improved resolution and contrast.
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Clemson professor Roger Stolen was selected to present at a special session titled "Pioneers of Fiber Optics" at SPIE Photonics WEST 2014. He is being honored for his pioneering work in nonlinear fiber optics, which has played an important role in modern high-capacity optical communication systems.
Astronomers have successfully imaged individual stars in a nearby binary star system using a new instrument that combines adaptive optics and interferometry.
Researchers at EPFL have discovered a method to fit pulses together within optical fibers, increasing the capacity by up to ten times. This approach reduces the unused empty space for data in the fiber, enabling faster and more reliable data transmission.
Researchers are developing modular, all-steel track sections that can be laid quickly and embedded with fibre optic technology for instant safety alerts. This innovation aims to reduce maintenance costs and improve efficiency in the railway industry.
The University of Bristol and NICT successfully demonstrated a multicore fibre-based network, utilizing Space Division Multiplexing (SDM) and Software Defined Network (SDN) control. This breakthrough enables the efficient handling of emerging Internet applications such as global cloud computing.
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Researchers from Garching and Braunschweig transport frequencies with high precision over almost 2000 km to accurately determine the geoid of the Earth. The new technology allows for a height difference of 4 mm between clocks to be resolved within 100 seconds.
A recent study tested fiber-optic sensors on a 36-km stretch of high-speed commuter railroad lines in Hong Kong, detecting over 10 million measurements and identifying anomalies such as excessive vibrations and mechanical defects. The system saves the rail company around $250,000 annually in maintenance costs.
The discovery enables rapid localization and measurement of cells within living environments at the nanoscale, such as changes to a single cell in response to chemical signals. The ultra-sensitive nanoparticles, or SuperDots, can detect individual particles with thousand times more sensitivity than existing materials.
Researchers from UNIGE have successfully entangled two optic fibers populated by 500 photons, surviving on a macroscopic level. The phenomenon demonstrates that larger elements can retain their quantum properties, despite interactions with the surrounding environment.
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Researchers have devised a new fiber optic technology that could ease Internet congestion and enable on-demand video streaming. The technology uses donut-shaped laser light beams called optical vortices to boost Internet bandwidth, promising terabit-per-second capacity transmission links.
Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a low-cost fiber-optic pen that tracks brain activity in real-time while children with learning disabilities read and write. The device, which costs less than $100, allows scientists to study the neural connections involved in writing and reading.
Purdue researchers achieve significant improvement in temporal cloaking, enabling 46% of data transmission to be encrypted. This technology could enhance telecommunications security and find applications in military, homeland security, or law enforcement.
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Engineers at AT&T Labs have devised a new technique to enable 400 Gb/s signals to be transmitted over ultra-long distances using current-generation systems. The team successfully transmitted 400 Gb/s signals over a record-breaking 12,000 km distance.
Researchers at IBM have developed a prototype optical link that shatters the previous power efficiency record by half, paving the way for faster supercomputers. The link operates at 25 gigabits per second using just 24 milliwatts of total wall-plug power.
A new splicing technique offers an automated way to align and connect multicore optical fibers with minimal signal quality loss. This method enables the production line deployment of these high-capacity fibers, which can carry up to 10 terabits per second.
Researchers at Stanford University have developed a micro-endoscope that can resolve objects four times better than previous devices, enabling new methods in diverse fields. The so-called micro-endoscope is a significant step forward in high-resolution bio-imaging with potential applications in research and clinical practice.