Research using lasers and light-based technology. Covers electron control, metalens optics, mid-flight drone charging, and water purification.
Scientists cooled potassium-rubidium molecules to near absolute zero, observing an intermediate complex that lived for 360 nanoseconds. The team found that laser light was forcing the molecules off their reaction path, leading to loss.
A team of scientists has proposed an efficient full-path calculation method for optical diffraction, leveraging the mathematical similarities between scalar and vector diffraction. The method uses the Bluestein approach to reduce computation time to sub-second levels, with superior flexibility in choosing ROIs and sampling numbers.
Researchers at Newcastle University have developed a new type of organic LED that enables faster data transfer speeds, reaching 2.2 Mb/s. This breakthrough could enable the integration of portable and wearable organic biosensors into visible light communication links.
The team's innovation uses acoustic waves to enable faster tuning of components, resulting in higher-resolution lidar detection. The technology integrates microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) transducers made of aluminum nitride to modulate the microcomb at high frequencies.
Researchers found that a fundamental principle of lasers, compensating for losses with amplified light, is only an approximation. A tiny excess loss due to luminescence inside the laser provides the key to understanding the spectral linewidth.
Physicists at MIT have designed a quantum light squeezer that reduces quantum noise in lasers by 15% at room temperature. The system uses an optical cavity with two mirrors to engineer the light exiting the cavity, allowing for more precise measurements in quantum computing and gravitational-wave detection.
Researchers developed a new silicon chip with no moving parts that improves lidar system resolution and scanning speed, enabling applications in self-driving cars and smartphones. The breakthrough could lead to cheaper, smaller, and more complex lidar systems.
An international team of researchers has demonstrated a technique to increase the intensity of lasers by compressing light pulses. This approach could enable the exploration of quantum electrodynamics phenomena at previously inaccessible intensities.
Physicists from Max Born Institute and University of Rostock discover light-induced tunneling of electrons in dielectrics, creating a nonlinear current that dominates bright bursts of light. This finding expands fundamental understanding of optical non-linearity and its applications in information processing and material processing.
Astronomers have spotted evidence of a light-producing scenario during a black hole merger, with the flare likely resulting from the reaction of gas to the merging black holes. The event, observed by ZTF and other telescopes, provides insights into the behavior of supermassive black holes.
Researchers have developed a new high-energy hollow fiber compressor beamline to generate intense attosecond harmonic radiation for nonlinear XUV spectroscopy studies. The system achieves 1.5-optical-cycle-long laser pulses with 1.2 terawatt peak power at kilohertz repetition rate, breaking a 10-year-old record.
A team of scientists at Aalto University has successfully created a Bose-Einstein condensate that behaves as if it were one particle, but makes the elusive state of matter in just 100 femtoseconds. The breakthrough could lead to new areas of fundamental research and applications with these condensates.
Scientists at Penn State have fabricated a 'photonic topological insulator' that can mediate interaction between photons and form self-sustaining wave patterns called solitons. This innovation could lead to more efficient lasers, medical imaging, and other photonic technologies.
A team of scientists has successfully produced a special type of light called a frequency comb, which consists of different light frequencies arranged at regular distances. The breakthrough uses circular quantum cascade lasers and turbulence to create the ordered light, contradicting current laser theory.
Researchers developed a compact optical system using silicon photonics, significantly lowering production costs and enabling easy integration with traditional chip production. The technology addresses growing demands for multicolor laser lights in data centers, promising new opportunities in applications like optical clocks.
A team of researchers from UC Santa Barbara, Caltech, and EPFL has developed a new technology that simplifies and condenses complex optical systems onto a single silicon photonic chip. This breakthrough allows for easy integration with traditional silicon chip production, significantly reducing cost and improving performance.
Researchers at Harvard University have successfully generated frequency combs using turbulence in light, contradicting current laser theory. The discovery could lead to more efficient and compact devices for applications such as telecommunications and portable sensing.
Physicists at TU Darmstadt have successfully stopped individual photons and preserved them for a short time, enabling the creation of controlled interactions between light and atoms. This breakthrough could lead to breakthroughs in nonlinear optics and simulation of solid materials through photon crystals.
Physicists have created a focusing component that converts light into electromagnetic waves, compressing it to 60% of the initial wavelength. This breakthrough allows for densely packing optical components in photonic and plasmonic devices, potentially bypassing fundamental limitations of traditional lenses.
Researchers have developed an underwater wireless system that supports internet services using visible light signals, allowing for faster and more reliable data transmission. The Aqua-Fi prototype demonstrated a maximum data transfer speed of 2.11 megabytes per second and an average delay of 1.00 millisecond.
Researchers at the University of Michigan and Purdue University have developed a method to measure electron energy distributions in metal nanostructures, which could lead to more efficient energy conversion and storage applications. The technique uses surface plasmons to give extra energy to charge carriers, enabling faster reactions.
A research team from the University of Göttingen has successfully harnessed the 'whispering gallery' effect to control electron beams using light. This breakthrough enables new possibilities for quantum technologies in nanoscale sensing and microscopy.
Researchers develop nanoparticle-sized semiconductor laser generating coherent green light at room temperature, overcoming a significant technological hurdle. The tiny laser operates efficiently without external pressure or low temperatures.
Researchers at UC Santa Barbara developed a new approach to design LEDs that can extract and direct photons with high efficiency. By using metasurface concepts, they were able to confine electrons and holes in gallium nitride nanorods, allowing more light to escape the semiconductor structure.
Researchers have successfully recreated the process of creating matter from light using high-power lasers. The new method produces electron-positron pairs, mimicking conditions during the first minutes of the universe and providing an improved model for studying antimatter.
Researchers created a multimodal digital holographic microscope that can produce 3D fluorescence and phase images of living cells without scanning. This technology has the potential to increase our understanding of stem cell processes in plants and revolutionize biology.
Scientists successfully created large-area periodic micro/nanoripple structures on a silicon substrate using femtosecond laser plasmonic lithography, retaining the properties of the graphene material. The process enables enhanced light absorption and photoelectric performance.
A new technique, multi-spectral optoacoustic mesoscopy (MSOM), enables high-resolution visualization of tumor tissue patterns without the need for surgical biopsies. MSOM allows researchers to study blood supply patterns, oxygenation levels, and drug efficacy with greater accuracy.
Researchers proposed a new scheme to generate near-single-cycle mid-infrared light pulses with a few millijoules in energy, achieving a high conversion efficiency of 30%. The method utilizes two terawatt-level short-pulse lasers and an underdense plasma channel.
Researchers developed plasmonic metasurfaces that can be tuned with polarization light, providing efficient saturable absorption for ultrafast lasers. The metasurfaces achieved stable self-starting ultrashort laser pulse generation with a modulation depth of up to 60%, outperforming previous studies.
Scientists have developed a new type of laser that can deliver high amounts of energy in very short bursts, making it ideal for corneal surgery. The research uses quartic solitons to produce short, powerful light pulses without heating and damaging the surface.
Scientists have developed a new scheme to generate near-single-cycle mid-infrared pulses in plasmas, achieving conversion efficiencies of up to 30%. The method uses two terawatt-level short-pulse lasers incident into an underdense plasma channel, producing a tunable mid-infrared pulse with millijoules of energy.
Researchers have developed a visible-wavelength passively mode-locked all-fibre laser, generating picosecond pulses at 635 nm. The laser has a tunable duration and a narrow spectral bandwidth, opening up new possibilities for applications in optical communications, biomedicine, material processing, and scientific research.
Researchers have simultaneously captured the movements of electrons and nuclei in a molecule after it was excited with light, revealing both sides of the story in a single experiment. This marks the first time this has been done with ultrafast electron diffraction.
Researchers have discovered second harmonic light emissions in superconductors, breaking conventional laws of physics. This finding could lead to breakthroughs in high-speed quantum computing and communication technologies.
Researchers from ITMO University have successfully created an all-optical switch based on a metal-organic framework, which can be synthesized in vitro and is useful for developing ultrafast optical memory cells. The switch operates faster, more efficiently, and consumes less energy than traditional electronic devices.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a system that can manipulate and detect orbital angular momentum, or OAM, of light on small semiconductor chips. This breakthrough enables the transmission of multiple distinct OAM modes, potentially shattering the bandwidth bottleneck in optical communications.
Researchers at EPFL have developed a new way to implement parallel FMCW LiDAR by using integrated nonlinear photonic circuitry. The technology enables up to 30 independent FMCW LiDAR channels, improving acquisition rates tenfold for autonomous vehicle applications.
Researchers have developed hollow-core fibers that can preserve light's essential attributes over long distances, overcoming challenges in optical interferometric systems and sensors. The technology has the potential to enhance performance in applications such as gravitational wave sensing and inertial navigation.
Scientists from University of Groningen have found that defects in perovskite materials cause broad-spectrum emissions and large colour variation, contradicting previous theory. This discovery has profound consequences for designing perovskite LEDs capable of broad-range light emission.
Researchers from the University of Tsukuba have synthesized branched polymer crystals that can be used as tiny laser sources, overcoming dendrimers' fragility and poor crystallinity. The new material exhibits lasing properties and shows promising potential for applications in displays and micro-optical circuits.
Researchers have created a new tool for quantum technologies by coupling atoms with nanomechanical membranes using laser light. The technique enables strong interactions between quantum systems over longer distances, opening up possibilities for quantum networks and simulations.
Researchers have developed a new technique that uses 3D-printed aspherical microlenses to overcome the limitations of traditional microscope objectives. This allows for ultra-long-working-distance spectroscopy, enabling researchers to study single nanometre-sized light emitters without the need for bulky microscopes.
Scientists discovered a new phenomenon allowing for three-dimensional RI modification in transparent materials, enabling the fabrication of compact photonic devices. The technology has potential to significantly miniaturize 3D photonics circuits, increasing optical quantum computer capacity.
Researchers demonstrate laser-propulsion of graphene sails in microgravity, accelerating prototypes up to 1 m/s². The scalable design minimizes sail mass, paving the way for human lifespans to reach other star systems.
Scientists use sound and light to store and transfer information on microchips, extending the lifetime of phonons from nanoseconds to 40 nanoseconds. This breakthrough opens possibilities for optical signal processing, fine filtering, high-precision sensing, and telecommunications.
Researchers developed a smart quantum technology that reduces light source identification measurements from millions to under hundred using AI. This enables quicker and less damaging light exposure in applications like microscopy and cryptography.
Researchers from ITMO University and Czech Academy of Sciences develop nanoantenna to efficiently manipulate light, creating an optical vortex that mixes liquids and reagents. The system uses gold nanoparticles as a stirring 'spoon', amplifying diffusion by hundreds of times while minimizing side effects.
Researchers at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have developed a new tool using machine learning to streamline accelerator tuning, reducing the time spent on this task by three to five times. The new algorithm combines human knowledge with the speed and efficiency of 'smart' computer programs.
Researchers have demonstrated a new metasurface laser that produces 'super-chiral light' with ultra-high angular momentum, enabling control over optical communications and applications in industries like food, computer, and biomedical. The laser design allows for high power operation in a compact design.
Researchers at UT Dallas have developed a promising method for remotely stimulating activity in deep brain regions using gold nanoparticles and lasers. The approach has the potential to improve tests for viruses, including influenza and COVID-19, by increasing sensitivity and reducing healthcare costs.
A new study from Johns Hopkins University proves the feasibility of using photoacoustic imaging for medical procedures, offering a potential replacement for current radiation-based methods. The technique involves using light and sound to produce images without ionizing radiation.
A team of Stanford engineers has created a new lidar technology using a single silicon chip, reducing costs from $8,000 to $30,000. The breakthrough enables the mass production of affordable lidars, a crucial component for autonomous cars.
Researchers developed an extremely low-density tin 'bubble' to overcome EUV light source limitations. This innovation enables efficient and low-cost production of compact, high-performance integrated chips.
Researchers discovered a novel light-sensitive protein in Asgard archaea that functions as an inward proton pump, opening possibilities for controlling pH levels in cells or microorganisms with light. This finding could lead to the development of new biomolecular tools and applications in optogenetics.
Researchers from Eindhoven University of Technology successfully developed an alloy with silicon that can emit light, paving the way for photonic chips. The breakthrough could lead to faster data transfer, reduced energy consumption, and new applications in self-driving cars and medical diagnosis.
Researchers at the University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics developed a novel method to shape intense laser light, accelerating electrons to record energies in very short distances. This technology could allow scientists to perform tabletop experiments to probe the Higgs boson and explore extra dimensions.
Scientists have discovered intricate structural changes in phytochromes that allow plants and bacteria to perceive light. The findings provide new insights into the function of these protein molecules and could lead to tools controlling their growth patterns.
Researchers from OIST discovered that as exciton density increased, exciton-exciton annihilation shifted from 1D to 2D due to phosphorene's anisotropic properties. Temperature also played a role, with exciton annihilation reverting to 1D at lower temperatures.
Scientists developed a new method to increase PL quantum yield of perovskites from 2.5% to 71.54% by adding water, maintaining luminescence in various solvents and exhibiting excellent ambient and thermal stability.