Research using lasers and light-based technology. Covers electron control, metalens optics, mid-flight drone charging, and water purification.
Using Raman spectroscopy, researchers have followed electrons through individual cable bacteria and found that voltage loss prevents efficient functioning beyond 3 cm into the sediment. The bacteria can distribute energy between cells using cytochromes, but lose electrical potential when electrons are unloaded to oxygen.
A team of UC Santa Barbara scientists has developed a miniature, energy-efficient optical frequency synthesizer that can be integrated onto silicon photonic integrated circuits. The device can tune over 50 nanometers and deliver a frequency stability of 7 x 10-13 after one second of averaging, matching that of the input reference clock.
Researchers have developed a method to study the interaction between light and twisted molecules as they transition from left- to right-handed versions. The study reveals that each route leads to different behavior, with potential applications in improving telecoms component design.
Scientists at University of Southern Denmark create photonic quantum memory allowing manipulation of light on nonlinear level. They successfully demonstrate novel method to subtract a single photon from an optical beam, enabling future applications in quantum information science.
Scientists have successfully created a fast, tunable, and stable nanoparticle-array laser, enabling ultrafast lasing dynamics with short and rapidly appearing laser pulses. The study showcases promising potential for all-optical switching and sensing applications.
Researchers at Rice University have discovered exceptional points in a unique material, enabling continuous tuning of light and matter coupling. This breakthrough may lead to novel quantum technologies like advanced information storage and one-dimensional lasers.
Researchers at Harvard have discovered a new phenomenon in quantum cascade laser frequency combs, enabling devices to act as integrated transmitters or receivers for efficient information encoding. This breakthrough has the potential to increase Wi-Fi capacity and pave the way for faster data transfer rates.
Researchers at UC Davis developed a new technique using conventional digital camera technology to measure brain blood flow. The method, called interferometric diffusing wave spectroscopy, boosts the signal to detect fluctuations in blood motion, providing valuable information about blood flow.
The new approach uses flat, artificial material composed of nanostructured optical elements to control and detect mid-IR waves, enabling cheaper, flatter, and more efficient detectors for night vision, biomedical sensing, and free-space communication. The devices can transmit up to 80% of mid-IR light with high efficiency and are made ...
Researchers embedded graphene in a photonic crystal to enhance its light-absorbing capabilities. By varying the external temperature, they can tune the material's optical characteristics, leading to potential applications in light sensors and ultra-fast lasers.
Scientists at NIST and partners developed a miniaturized device that generates precise frequencies of light, tracing back to an international measurement standard. The breakthrough reduces the size of optical frequency synthesizers from tabletop instruments to three silicon chips.
Researchers develop powerful femtosecond light source for mid-infrared spectroscopy, enabling detection of organic molecules at low concentrations. The system uses coherent light to reveal molecular fingerprints and diagnose diseases like cancer at early stages.
Researchers at ICFO have achieved the ultimate level of light confinement using graphene, creating ultra-small optical switches and sensors. By sending infra-red light through devices, they observed how plasmons propagated in between metal and graphene, demonstrating control of light guided in channels smaller than one nanometer.
A team of researchers has successfully combined carefully structured light with metal nanostructures to alter the properties of generated light at the nanometer scale. This breakthrough could lead to advancements in photonics, such as frequency conversion of light and optical processing.
Researchers at ICFO have successfully confined light to a space one atom thick, setting a new record. They used graphene and other 2D materials to create an optical device that can control light in channels smaller than one nanometer.
Scientists have developed a new microscope that can capture unprecedented 3-D detail of cells in their natural state, overcoming previous limitations. The technology combines adaptive optics and lattice light sheet microscopy to create high-resolution images of cellular dynamics.
Researchers have discovered a new material science concept that uses light to expand a two-dimensional nanosheet at incredible speeds. The nanosheet can expand up to 5.7% of its original size in sub-milliseconds, making it potentially useful for artificial muscles and soft robotic systems.
Aalto University researchers have successfully created a new Bose-Einstein condensate that doesn't require cooling to near absolute zero. The condensate is made up of light and electrons in motion in gold nanorods, allowing for faster information processing and potentially enabling the creation of extremely small and fast light sources.
Researchers have developed a method to rapidly transition strongly correlated materials from insulators to conductors using tailored laser pulses. This breakthrough could lead to the creation of next-generation electronics that are faster and more energy efficient.
Researchers detect Bloch-Siegert shift in strongly coupled light and matter, a phenomenon previously speculated but never observed. The discovery could lead to a greater understanding of theoretical predictions in quantum phase transitions and the development of robust quantum bits for advanced computing.
Researchers at Friedrich Schiller University Jena have successfully created tailored surface structures on curved carbon fibers using laser technology, enabling new applications in composite materials and optical devices. The method allows for precise control over the structure's size and shape, opening up possibilities for improving m...
Researchers at NIST have developed a nanoscale coating for solar cells that absorbs up to 20% more sunlight, increasing efficiency and reducing costs.
Scientists have engineered an extremely low loss nanostring that vibrates for minutes with a period of a microsecond, allowing them to 'hear' the sound of photons in a laser beam. The researchers hope to use this technology to detect weak light forces and potentially cool mechanical objects to absolute zero.
Researchers at NIST developed a miniature chip that uses laser light to measure quantities like length with quantum precision. The design packs the atom cloud and structures for guiding light waves into less than 1 square centimeter, achieving a hundredfold increase in measurement precision compared to other devices.
Researchers at NIST created a plasmomechanical oscillator (PMO) that modulates light and amplifies extremely weak mechanical and electrical signals. The device, composed of a gold nanoparticle and a silicon nitride cantilever, can amplify faint signals with amplitudes as small as ten trillionths of a meter.
Researchers have developed a technique to sensitively measure molecule structure by twisting laser light and aiming it at miniscule gold gratings. This method could be used to probe the structure and purity of molecules in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, foods, and other important products more easily and cheaply.
Researchers at Hebrew University of Jerusalem have created a terahertz microchip that enables computers to run 100 times faster through optic communications. The new integrated circuit uses flash memory technology and has overcome major challenges of overheating and scalability.
A new field instrument can quantify methane leaks as tiny as one-quarter of a human exhalation from nearly a mile away. The revamped laser technology provides game-changing information for safe industry operations and controlling harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
Researchers at NYU Tandon School of Engineering have made a discovery that can flag the barest presence of viruses or proteins, as well as detect airborne chemical warfare agents. The breakthrough enables biosensors tailored to specific applications, from wearable sensors for soldiers to nanoparticle drug uptake.
The MIT system uses a time-of-flight camera to measure the arrival times of reflected light and estimates a gamma distribution to filter out fog reflections. It calculates a different gamma distribution for each pixel, handling variations in fog density, and produces images of objects at distances up to 57 centimeters.
A particle-based laser was created to measure temperature changes along the length of an optical fiber, offering highly localized light delivery to remote locations. The flying microlaser can detect temperature changes of under 3 degrees Celsius with spatial resolution of a few millimeters.
Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology have discovered a new class of semiconductors, known as hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites (HOIPs), that can emit light with nuanced colors. The materials are energy-efficient, easy to process and stable at room temperature, making them potentially useful for various applications.
A team of researchers at NIST developed a new laser source, called frequency combs, to detect chemicals with greater sensitivity. These lasers can pass through samples without direct contact, enabling remote spectroscopy and high-sensitivity measurements for applications such as breath analyzers, cancer detection, and explosives tracking.
Researchers at Colorado State University have demonstrated micro-scale nuclear fusion using a compact laser, achieving record-setting efficiency for generating neutrons. This breakthrough could lead to advances in neutron-based imaging and materials science research.
Researchers observed attosecond optical-field-enhanced carrier injection into the GaAs conduction band, a process previously thought to be impossible. Intra-band motion plays a significant role in this phenomenon, enhancing the number of electrons excited into the conduction band.
Rochester researchers have developed a technique using the flying focus concept to better control the intensity of lasers over longer distances. By capturing fast-moving movies, they can manipulate the focal velocity and produce high-intensity light sources with novel wavelengths.
A new technique enables real-time measurement of laser pulses with sub-picosecond resolution, revealing complex collapse and oscillation dynamics before stabilization. This breakthrough has important implications for designing and improving ultrafast pulsed lasers.
JILA scientists invent a novel imaging technique that combines spectroscopy and high-resolution microscopy to create rapid, precise measurements of quantum behavior. The technique produces detailed spatial maps of energy shifts among atoms in a three-dimensional lattice, providing information about each atom's location and energy level.
The Stanford team has developed an efficient algorithm to process final images from non-line-of-sight imaging, overcoming a significant challenge in capturing 3-D structure of hidden objects. The system can produce images of out-of-view objects in under a second and is computationally efficient enough to run on regular laptops.
Researchers created a 3D dynamic model of light-nanoparticle interactions using mining hardware, showing particles lose symmetry and optical properties become heterogeneous when exposed to short intense laser pulses. This finding could enable control of light on a nanoscale for ultrafast information processing devices.
Physicists develop new method to precisely characterise extremely short light pulses, allowing for detailed information about electron place of origin in novel materials. This enables study of superconductors and topological materials, crucial for quantum computing and energy-efficient processors.
Researchers at KIT and EPFL developed a new type of chip-scale light source generating optical frequency combs in silicon nitride microresonators. This enables highly precise distance measurement at speeds of up to 100 million measurements per second, paving the way for real-time 3D cameras and compact LIDAR systems.
Japanese researchers at Osaka University propose that substances heated by high-power lasers produce an ultrahigh pressure plasma state comparable to stellar centers. The surface tension of this plasma can push back light, and the researchers derive a limit density for laser-induced hole boring.
Researchers at the University of Maryland created a photonic chip that generates single photons and steers them around bends in the road. The device mitigates issues by rethinking crystal hole shapes and patterns, ensuring reliable transit for individual photons.
Researchers observe groups of three photons interacting, forming a new kind of photonic matter. The bound photons acquire mass and travel slower than non-interacting photons.
Researchers at Rutgers University have developed a new method for processing nanomaterials that could lead to faster and cheaper manufacturing of flexible thin film devices. The 'intense pulsed light sintering' method uses high-energy light to fuse nanomaterials in seconds, retaining conductivity while reducing temperatures.
The Kodiak system has been officially baselined for NASA's Restore-L project, demonstrating an autonomous satellite-servicing capability. The system will provide real-time images and distance-ranging information to extend a satellite's lifespan.
Researchers at TU Wien have developed a method to measure internal stresses and strains in 2D materials, revealing the effects on electronic properties. This new technique allows for precise imaging of deformations, enabling targeted adjustment of material properties.
Researchers at Caltech developed a new technique to create complex nanoscale metal structures using 3D printing. The process involves synthesizing organic scaffolds that contain metal ions, allowing for the creation of metallic structures smaller than previously possible.
Researchers have developed a non-invasive method for stimulating the brain using nanoparticles that absorb near-infrared light and emit visible photons, allowing for control of specific brain cells. This breakthrough enables the treatment of conditions such as seizures and fear memories with minimal invasiveness.
Scientists have successfully observed radiation reaction in a lab experiment, where an ultra-intense laser slows down electrons. This phenomenon is thought to occur near black holes and quasars, and provides insights into quantum effects beyond classical physics.
Scientists at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and Rutherford Appleton Laboratory discovered that electrons traveling faster than light in glass live much longer than expected, lasting over 2000 times longer than the exciting laser pulse.
The new design doubles the conversion efficiency of conventional systems, allowing for greater bandwidth and resolution in detecting pollutants and diseases. The technology also enables the miniaturization of such systems onto a chip, leading to new applications for molecular detection and remote sensing.
A team of Columbia engineers, led by Michal Lipson, has developed a groundbreaking AR glass design that enables high-resolution projection and detection with no moving parts. The technology leverages recent work on engineered optical materials (EnMats) and silicon nitride integrated photonics to provide an ultrahigh-resolution see-thro...
Researchers have created a new surface design featuring rigid scales assembled into soft, ferromagnetic micropillars on a flexible substrate. The nanostructured silicon scales enable fluid and light manipulation, with tunable wetting, droplet manipulation, and structural coloration demonstrated.
Researchers at Naval Research Laboratory have discovered a new material that emits light much faster than conventional materials, enabling larger power, lower energy use, and faster switching for communication and sensors. The discovery could lead to 20 times more intense LEDs and lasers.
A team of scientists from the National University of Singapore has developed a way to wirelessly deliver light into deep regions of the body to activate light-sensitive drugs for photodynamic therapy (PDT). The technology enables PDT to be used on inner organs with fine control, potentially treating a wider range of cancers.
Researchers from TU Delft have found a way to convert the spin information of electrons into a predictable light signal at room temperature, bringing together spintronics and nanophotonics. This discovery could lead to the development of energy-efficient data processing methods.
Scientists from ITMO University developed a silicon-gold nanoparticle that acts as an effective source of white light when agitated by a pulse laser in IR band. This technology makes modern near-field microscopy cheaper and simpler, with potential applications in medicine.
Researchers used UV laser photolysis to improve diamond synthesis by suppressing unwanted side products. The technique promotes faster and better-quality diamond growth, opening up new possibilities for material synthesis.