Articles tagged with Infrared Radiation
The James Webb Space Telescope's sole secondary mirror was successfully installed onto the telescope at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The mirror is supported by three struts and made of beryllium coated with gold to efficiently reflect infrared light.
Researchers at the University of Surrey have developed a new graphene material with enhanced light absorption, enabling applications such as 'smart wallpaper' that can generate electricity from waste light or heat. The technology uses nanotexturing to localise light into narrow spaces, increasing light absorption by 90%.
The James Webb Space Telescope's 18 primary flight mirror segments are being installed using a high-precision robotic arm, requiring fraction-of-a-millimeter accuracy. The team uses lasers to measure distance and a coordinate system to place each segment, achieving precision better than the thickness of a piece of paper.
Astronomers have discovered a highly turbulent galaxy that may soon lose its supply of star-forming gas due to violent motion. The galaxy, W2246-0526, is an obscured quasar with a supermassive black hole at its center, causing intense radiation that exerts pressure on the entire galaxy.
Researchers used ALMA to study W2246-0526, the most luminous galaxy known, finding it's ejecting its star-forming gas due to intense infrared radiation. This turbulence could lead to the galaxy evolving into a traditional quasar.
A new technology allows for the creation of incandescent bulbs that can achieve efficiencies as high as 40 percent, outperforming current CFLs and LEDs. The breakthrough involves a two-stage process where waste heat is captured and re-emitted as visible light, resulting in a threefold improvement over traditional designs.
A team of MIT researchers has developed a novel way to recycle unwanted infrared light from thermal emitters like incandescent bulbs, improving their efficiency and reducing waste. The innovative design features nanophotonic structures that spectrally filter emitted light, allowing visible light to pass through.
French researchers have developed metamaterial resonators that allow emission in the infrared to be tuned through geometry, enabling the encoding of images. This technology has potential breakthrough applications in infrared televisions, biochemical sensing, and anti-counterfeit devices.
Astronomers discovered the faintest object ever seen in the early universe, dubbed Tayna, with NASA's Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes. This small, dim galaxy is thought to be a key to understanding the formation and evolution of the first galaxies.
A University of Sydney graduate student has reconstructed images of the star CW Leo, which appears to be a changing 'inkblot pattern' due to dust and gas ejections. The star's appearance evolved over eight years, revealing it is not buried under its own dust as previously thought.
Researchers have discovered that silicon nanocones can intensify luminescence by up to 200 times compared to nanocolumns. This is due to the amplification of electromagnetic waves through whisper gallery modes, which facilitate increased electron excitation and release of light.
NC State University researchers developed techniques to create ideal geometric phase holograms for any type of optical pattern. These holograms can focus, disperse or modify light efficiently. The breakthrough enables creation of new displays, imaging systems, telecommunications technology and astronomical instruments.
Tropical Storm Kate is moving northeastward at 21 mph with maximum sustained winds near 70 mph, forecast to become a hurricane by night. The storm's center was located near latitude 30.2 North, longitude 74.7 West, 350 miles south of Cape Hatteras and 600 miles west of Bermuda.
Researchers at Duke University have developed a technology that brings true color to infrared imaging systems, capturing specific wavelengths from the visible to the infrared spectrum. This allows advanced thermal imaging systems to be produced faster and cheaper, with higher sensitivity.
Swift has detected over 1,000 gamma-ray bursts, providing valuable insights into extreme physical processes. The most distant GRB recorded by Swift is from over 12 billion years ago, offering new opportunities to investigate how these events are distributed across space and time.
Scientists at WashU Medicine have discovered an enzyme that enables some fish and amphibians to supercharge their vision to detect red and infrared light, aiding navigation in murky waters. This discovery could lead to advances in biomedical research, particularly optogenetics, where light is used to control brain activity.
Researchers developed a graphene broadband detector that reacts rapidly to incident light and works at room temperature. The device can synchronize laser pulses with high accuracy, enabling precise measurements at room temperature.
Researchers at Harvard University have developed a new class of Raman laser using nanoscale diamond resonator, enabling wider wavelength range and potential for improved telecommunications. The device works by converting one frequency of laser light to another, opening up possibilities for broadband data communications.
Typhoon Champi's maximum sustained winds dropped to 80 knots from 90 knots as it weakened, with rough seas and wave heights reaching 9.1 meters.
Hurricane Olaf strengthened to a Category four hurricane on October 20 with maximum sustained winds near 150 mph. The storm is expected to remain major for the next couple of days before curving northeast and away from Hawaii by Friday, October 23.
Professor Nanfang Yu has received the DARPA Young Faculty Award to develop metasurface-based flat optical modulators. He aims to create high-speed, light-weight spatial light modulators (SLMs) with tunable materials for various applications including LIDAR and remote sensing.
A new Atlantic tropical depression formed on September 28, with cloud top temperatures reaching -63 Fahrenheit/-53 Celsius, indicating potential heavy rainfall. The National Hurricane Center forecasts the depression to strengthen into a tropical storm later in the day.
The remnants of Tropical Depression 16E have moved over the U.S. Southwest, bringing light to moderate rain and flash flood watches in Arizona and New Mexico.
A team of researchers has developed a unique source of coherent radiation for identifying and quantifying molecules in complex mixtures. The new laser can detect minimal amounts of disease markers present in exhaled breath, with the potential to diagnose potentially lethal diseases early.
Researchers at ICFO have developed a new light source that detects minute changes in spectral features, ideal for identifying DNA mutations and cellular malfunctions. The mid-wave infrared range is crucial for resonantly exciting molecular vibrations, leaving fingerprints in the spectrum for identification.
Scientists at Berkeley Lab have devised an ultra-thin invisibility 'skin' cloak that can conform to the shape of an object and conceal it from detection with visible light. The cloak, made of gold nanoantennas, reroutes reflected light waves to render the object invisible to optical detection.
Researchers have imaged ultraslow pulse propagation and backward propagating waves in deep subwavelength-scale thick slabs of boron nitride, a natural hyperbolic material. The study provides insights into the behavior of light inside these materials, laying the foundations for future nanophotonic devices.
Researchers found nearly 10 times more faint, early galaxies than previously detected in deep Hubble surveys. They used a new statistical method to parse out signals from noise in the images.
Tropical Depression 14E forms in Eastern Pacific Ocean on September 1 with NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite. The depression features fragmented thunderstorms and a stretched cloud pattern indicating poor organization.
Hurricane Ignacio is weakening as it moves parallel to the Hawaiian Islands, with NASA's Aqua satellite providing valuable temperature data. The storm's cloud tops are expected to drop, leading to a decrease in heavy rainfall potential.
Tropical Storm Loke is strengthening in the Central Pacific, with NASA's Terra satellite gathering data on its powerful storms. The storm is expected to reach hurricane strength later today, bringing heavy rainfall and strong winds to affected areas.
A team of chemists at UC Riverside has found a way to use the infrared region of the sun's spectrum to generate more power in solar cells. By combining inorganic semiconductor nanocrystals with organic molecules, they have created a hybrid material that can 'upconvert' photons, effectively reshaping the solar spectrum to boost efficien...
The University of Delaware research team aims to improve solar cells and medical imaging by changing the color of low-energy light into higher-energy colors. Their novel approach could lead to a significant boost in solar energy harvesting, with predicted efficiencies of up to 30%.
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have developed smart window materials that can control light and energy efficiency, allowing for precise indoor climate control. The new materials enable 90% NIR and 80% visible light blocking, reducing energy costs for cooling buildings and homes.
Scientists have discovered that light can be stored and trap particles of light called phonon polaritons behave in unique ways. The light's movement isn't random but follows fixed angles with respect to the atomic structure, leading to interesting resonances.
Researchers aim to improve crop productivity by optimizing photosynthetic efficiency, a process that has plateaued due to its inefficiency. Designs include smart canopies with layered plants and tailored light-absorbing pigments to minimize light saturation and maximize energy use.
The researchers created a nanoresonator that can manipulate light to cast a large 'reflection', making objects appear 10,000 times larger than their physical size. This technology has huge implications for photography and solar power.
Scientists at EPFL and ICFO have developed a reconfigurable, highly sensitive graphene-based molecule sensor that can detect nanometric compounds. The device exploits the unique electronic and optical properties of graphene to focus light on precise spots, enabling detection of tiny molecules.
Researchers developed a graphene-based sensor that can detect nanometer-sized molecules and reveal their structure. By harnessing the unique optical and electronic properties of graphene, scientists improved upon infrared absorption spectroscopy to create a highly sensitive molecule sensor.
The new detector, made of Mercury-Cadmium-Telluride alloy, processes infrared signals at a single-photon level, offering unparalleled sensitivity. It has customers for Earth and planetary remote sensing, as well as potential uses in telecommunications, medical imaging, and materials science.
Scientists at the University of Chicago have successfully aligned over 99% of nuclear spins in silicon carbide, a crucial step towards developing practical spintronic devices. The breakthrough uses infrared light to cool and align spins, allowing for operation at room temperature.
Researchers studied hawkmoth's ability to hover and track flowers in mid-air while adjusting to changing light conditions. The moths can slow their brains to improve vision under low-light conditions, but only if the flower is moving rapidly.
The University of Cincinnati has developed a patent-pending breakthrough in 'tunable' window tintings that can dynamically adapt to brightness, color temperatures, and opacity. This technology allows for simultaneous control of brightness and color temperature, providing options for adjusting light entry while maintaining privacy.
Researchers at Vanderbilt University created nano-spirals that emit blue light when illuminated with infrared laser, providing a customizable signature that's hard to fake. The spirals could be embedded in identification cards or other objects to prevent counterfeiting.
Tropical Depression 02E forms in Eastern Pacific, expected to become a storm later today. The system is moving northwestward with maximum sustained winds of 35mph and a central pressure of 1006mb.
Researchers at Stanford University have developed a breakthrough technology that enables the efficient transmission of data using light, potentially replacing wires in computing systems. The innovation uses inverse design algorithm to fabricate silicon structures that can carry infrared light, paving the way for faster and more energy-...
The first tropical depression of the Eastern Pacific hurricane season formed on May 28, 2015, about 685 miles southwest of Mexico. The depression is expected to turn northwest and remain over open ocean, potentially becoming a tropical storm or hurricane by Friday.
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 at Caltech have developed a device called a frequency comb to detect terahertz waves, allowing for precise measurement and identification of molecules in space. The device can measure thousands of frequencies simultaneously, enabling scientists to analyze the chemical fingerprints associated with various molecules.
Researchers discovered a massive supervoid, 1.8 billion light-years across, that could explain the unusual Cold Spot in cosmic microwave background radiation. The void's effect on light traveling through it results in colder temperatures, potentially revealing exotic physics beyond standard cosmology.
A team of chemists has synthesized molecules that can absorb any color of sunlight, from oranges to near-infrared. By understanding how these pigments work, they aim to manipulate their light absorption at will.
A team of astronomers using ESO's Very Large Telescope has observed a dusty cloud, known as G2, passing close to the supermassive black hole at the galactic center. The observations confirm that the cloud survived its closest approach and is likely a compact object surrounding a dense core.
Researchers connect a black hole's 'wind' to an outward torrent of cold gas in a galaxy, validating feedback mechanisms that influence galaxy evolution. The discovery resolves a long-standing puzzle and sheds light on the relationship between supermassive black holes and their host galaxies.
Scientists at the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois have developed a new technique using gold nanoparticles to stimulate normal, non-genetically modified neurons with light. The technique shows great promise for potential therapeutic use in diseases such as macular degeneration.
A new compound based on rare earth ions has been developed to measure oxygen concentrations in living tissue with high precision. The compound works by emitting coloured light that varies in colour with the amount of oxygen present, making it possible to measure oxygen using optical microscopes already present in hospitals.
Four scientists, Winfried Denk and Arthur Konnerth (Germany), and Karel Svoboda and David Tank (USA), have been awarded the €1m Brain Prize for their invention of two-photon microscopy. This technology enables researchers to study individual nerve cells with high precision, revealing key mechanisms in brain function.
Astronomers have discovered a distant supernova split into four images by a massive galaxy lens, allowing for the study of dark matter distribution and the type of star that exploded. The 'Einstein cross' will enable researchers to measure time delays between the arrival of light from the supernova in different images.
Austro-Russian research team develops high-energy mid-infrared laser capable of igniting laser filaments in air at normal atmospheric pressure. This technology enables tracing pollutants in the atmosphere using back-scattered light analysis.
Researchers at North Carolina State University have synthesized a new material that efficiently converts mid-IR light into oscillating electrons, enabling applications in high-speed computing, solar energy, and biomedical devices.
Researchers have developed gold nanotubes that can selectively destroy cancer cells while imaging tumors, using near-infrared light to convert to heat. The technique has the potential to enhance conventional treatments with minimal toxicity.