Research using lasers and light-based technology. Covers electron control, metalens optics, mid-flight drone charging, and water purification.
University of Oklahoma researchers have designed a novel photothermal therapy that eliminates tumors without affecting healthy cells. The therapy uses single-walled carbon nanotubes to target specific cancer cells in breast, bladder, esophageal, and melanoma cancers.
The superradiant laser uses synchronized emissions of light from strontium atoms to improve atomic clock performance and create precise 'rulers' for space science. The laser's output is expected to be less sensitive to noise, making it sharper as a precision tool.
Researchers have generated femtosecond pulses in mid-infrared wavelengths, opening opportunities for research in physics, chemistry and biomedicine. The new technique allows scientists to study atomic processes taking place in atoms, molecules and solids with unprecedented speed.
Researchers have developed an ultrafast technique to film the propagation of guided light and read its spatial profile across a multilayered structure. This breakthrough enables the design and control of confined plasmonic fields, crucial for future optoelectronic devices.
Scientists at the University of California - San Diego designed a device that harnesses light to manipulate its mechanical properties. The device oscillates indefinitely using energy absorbed from light, enabling new applications in GPS, computers, and other devices.
A team led by Caltech's Changhuei Yang and Edward Zhou developed a device that selectively cancels scattered light, revealing dimly reflective objects. The technology, termed 'coherence gated negation,' has potential applications in satellite exploration and biomedical imaging.
Researchers have successfully cooled rubidium atoms to nearly absolute zero using a multicolored laser, paving the way for studying chemical reactions in medicine and biology. The technique involves using pairs of photons to mimic high-energy ultraviolet light, overcoming previous difficulties in generating such photons.
Researchers have successfully integrated a complete quantum optical structure on a chip using carbon nanotubes as single-photon sources. This achievement fulfills one condition for the use of photonic circuits in optical quantum computers and opens up new possibilities for ultrafast calculation and secure data encryption.
Researchers created simple microswimmers with a phototaxis system, enabling them to move towards darker areas. By using a laser-generated light field with saw-tooth profiles, the microswimmers can be steered reliably over long distances.
Physicists at Lomonosov Moscow State University have successfully controlled the polarization of light, reducing its speed by up to 10 times. This breakthrough has significant implications for the development of spatial light modulators, which could enable faster and more efficient data processing in photonic computers.
Physicists devise a method to control optical solitons in microresonators, allowing for stable pulse generation and spectral comb formation. This enables precise measurement of optical frequencies, including those in the radio wave range.
Researchers have discovered 'spatiotemporal optical vortices,' or STOVs, which are 3-D ring structures generated by high-intensity lasers. These structures have the potential to manipulate particles moving at the speed of light and may be useful for designing powerful microscopes and more efficient telecommunication lines.
Researchers at Nagoya University have created a label-free method for detecting real-time DNA amplification based on refractive index changes in diffracted light. This technique is highly sensitive and can quantify DNA concentrations from 1 fM to 1 pM, outperforming existing fluorescence-based detection systems.
Researchers at UTA have discovered a potential non-invasive treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) using near-infrared light. The study, published in Nature's Scientific Reports, found that shining near-infrared light on the brain increases production of cytochrome-c-oxidase, a protein that stimulates blood flow.
Researchers at NIST and Shandong University have found a way to grow large crystals that could revolutionize laser technology. The microcrystals outperform conventional crystals in some ways, but their performance challenges scientific theory.
Researchers at ETH Zurich have investigated how electrons respond to extremely fast electric fields, reaching speeds of up to petahertz. They observed that the absorption of diamond varied characteristically following the rhythm of the oscillating electric field, confirming the dynamical Franz-Keldysh effect.
The NIST team has demonstrated a compact atomic gyroscope design that can measure rotation and acceleration with high accuracy. The device uses a cloud of laser-cooled atoms to simulate rotations, generating interference bands to detect the rotation rate and axis.
A team of researchers at the University of Warsaw has developed a bioinspired micro-robot capable of mimicking caterpillar gaits in natural scale. The robot harvests energy from green light and can travel on flat surfaces, climb slopes, squeeze through narrow slits, and transport loads.
KAUST researchers develop a nanocrystalline material that rapidly converts blue light into white light, enabling data speeds of up to 2 GB/s. This innovation has the potential to replace traditional LEDs for energy-efficient lighting and enable new applications like VLC.
Scientists from Russia and Australia have developed a simple new way to count microscopic particles in optical materials using laser diffraction. This method allows for the structure and shape of any optical material to be determined without expensive electron or atomic-force microscopy.
Researchers from MIT and Lincoln Laboratory have developed a prototype chip that can trap ions in an electric field with built-in optics, enabling the miniaturization of qubit technology. This breakthrough could lead to practical quantum computers by scaling up trapped-ion quantum information processing.
Researchers have developed a more robust imaging wave using unconventional laser beams, allowing for the detection of objects at greater distances. The technology has the potential to be used for Homeland Security and law enforcement agencies to detect chemical, biological, and explosive materials without damaging human tissue.
Scientists design metamaterials that can block or transmit specific wavelengths of light at the command of light pulses, enabling new optical device applications. The new switchable materials have potential to create ultra-thin metasurface lenses and other flat optical components.
The CO2 Sounder Lidar is a strong contender for the ASCENDS mission, which aims to measure global atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. The instrument uses advanced technologies, including a highly sensitive solid-state detector and a rapidly tuning laser system, to achieve unprecedented precision and resolution.
Rice University scientists detect thermal boundary that hinders ultracold experiments, requiring clever measurement techniques to overcome. The researchers found that cooling substrates reduced temperature increases, but thermal boundary resistance remained a major issue.
A team of scientists developed a new approach to visualize oxygen in tissue, using optoacoustic methods and a novel algorithm that corrects for light propagation effects. This non-invasive imaging method achieves high accuracy and resolution, enabling the study of various medical conditions such as tumor growth and metabolism.
A new light-based communication tool can carry data in a swift, circular motion, potentially solving an approaching data bottleneck. The optics advancement could become a central component of next generation computers designed to handle society's growing demand for information sharing.
University of Groningen scientists discovered that removing air from perovskite crystals can deactivate 'traps' that reduce solar cell efficiency, allowing for more efficient solar cells. Researchers also found that oxygen and water vapor can be used to create new gas sensors for detecting seal breaks in food packaging.
Researchers have developed a new type of terahertz quantum cascade laser that can produce a record output power of up to 230 milliwatts in continuous wave mode. This breakthrough has significant implications for various applications, including spectroscopy, medical imaging, and remote sensing.
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 have successfully created a controlled beam of ultra-energized photons, or gamma rays, from a laser using simulations on the Lonestar and Stampede supercomputers. The breakthrough has potential applications in fields such as cancer treatment, cargo screening, and fundamental science studies.
Researchers developed high-precision X-ray deformable mirrors for controllable beam size and formed three types of focused beams without changing experimental setups. This paves the way for a multifunctional X-ray microscope to perform various analyses in one device, enhancing flexibility and range of uses.
Plasmonic lasers use metal films to confine light energy and have potential applications in integrated optics and ultrafast digital processing. The researchers developed a scheme that emits radiation at extremely long wavelengths with a narrow beam divergence angle of just 4 degrees, the narrowest achieved for such terahertz lasers.
Researchers at The Australian National University have improved the performance of tiny lasers by adding impurities, increasing light emission efficiency. The discovery could lead to development of low-cost biomedical sensors, quantum computing, and a faster internet.
A new method to pack quantum computing power into a small space and control it was devised by Penn State researchers. The technique uses laser light and microwaves to precisely control the switching of individual qubits, enabling calculations impossible for classical computers.
Researchers developed a new device for measuring polarization of light based on single spatial sampling, using organic polymers. The device can achieve measurement error as low as 1.2 percent.
Researchers have developed a new squeezed vacuum source that can reduce phase noise in laser interferometers, enabling the detection of weaker gravitational waves. This advancement could enable the observation of more faint signals from distant events, including neutron star collisions.
Researchers from Lomonosov Moscow State University demonstrated the effect of all-optical switching between streams of photons using non-linear metamaterials, which can manipulate photons in a new way. This breakthrough could lead to faster data transfer and high-speed communication technologies.
Physicists from Russia and France have devised a method to create a quantum entangled state, enabling precise measurement of large distances. This technique could improve the accuracy of optical interferometers used in gravitational wave detection.
Scientists found that contrails formed within existing high clouds increase cloud reflectivity, a key factor in climate regulation. This discovery offers insights into aviation's influence on climate, particularly in mid-latitude regions.
Researchers used X-ray free electron laser to study the effect of radiosensitizers on tumor cells. They found that energetic ions formed by ionization cause damage, leading to increased radiation sensitivity.
Scientists at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a method to control the direction of light emission in microlasers using an exceptional point. By exploiting this physical phenomenon, they can create consistently directed photons, which is crucial for reliable photonic signals and applications.
Researchers create a quantum Hall material of light and study its behavior in curved space, confirming a previously untested theory. This breakthrough allows for new interactions between photons and opens up possibilities for exotic quantum liquid states of light.
A Yale team has developed a new waveguide system that harnesses the interaction of light and sound waves to boost light intensity on a silicon microchip, solving a long-standing problem in hybrid technologies. The breakthrough enables precise control over the interaction, leading to potential commercial applications in fiber-optic comm...
African researchers have made a breakthrough in optical communication by demonstrating a significant increase in the amount of information that can be packed into light. The team used over 100 patterns of light, exploiting three degrees of freedom to achieve this result, which could potentially increase bandwidth by 100 times.
Robert Magnusson's research explores the use of nanostructured silicon films to generate light, potentially leading to faster and more compact integrated photonic-electric circuits. The new technology could also improve sensing instruments and make cameras and infrared technology less expensive.
Researchers developed a compound that transforms near-infrared light into broadband white-light, emitting directional and high-quality light suitable for microscopes and projection systems. The material is cheap, readily available, and easily scalable, opening up new routes for advanced directed illumination technologies.
Researchers at Kansas State University have developed a new class of fiber-based lasers that can produce high-intensity light without requiring large amounts of power. The lasers use gas molecules to emit light and are portable, making them suitable for applications such as measuring distances and detecting gases in the atmosphere.
Scientists have successfully integrated tiny high-performance lasers directly onto silicon wafers, overcoming a decades-old semiconductor industry challenge. This breakthrough enables faster and more energy-efficient data transmission, paving the way for on-chip integration of photonics with electronics.
A new device detects ultra-low concentrations of gases accurately and nearly instantly, even with small vibrations. The sensor uses cavity ring-down spectroscopy and a high-power broadband laser, making it more practical for field applications.
Physicists observe nanoscale light-matter phenomenon lasting only attoseconds, studying collective electron motions and near fields in gold nanoneedles. The development enables precise characterization of near-field vibrations, paving the way for complex studies of light-matter interactions in metals.
For the first known time, researchers have tracked heme movement inside cells, revealing it is not always static. Labile heme serves as a nutrient and needs to be carefully trafficked through the cell to stay available.
Engineers have found a way to control light waves using a non-periodic material structure. This breakthrough opens up opportunities for faster-switching transistors and white light lasers, enabling devices to selectively block or allow specific wavelengths of light
Researchers at MIT have discovered a process to remove defects in new solar cell materials using intense light, improving their efficiency and consistency. The technique, called photo-induced cleaning, uses illumination to migrate ions that sweep away most of the defects in the material.
Scientists have developed a novel method to study the dynamics of electrons in solids when exposed to ultrafast light pulses. This breakthrough enables the precise optimization of energy transfer between light and matter, paving the way for faster electronic signal processing and potentially accelerating data processing to its limits.
Researchers have developed a nanocavity that increases the amount of light absorbed by ultrathin semiconducting materials, enabling more efficient electronic devices. The technology has potential applications in creating flexible solar panels and faster photodetectors.
Two new RGB laser light source modules developed by Osaka University and Shimadzu Corporation show superior performance in miniaturization, energy-saving, and color gamut compared to LEDs. The modules have potential applications in small electronic devices, large video systems, and projection mapping.
Researchers create quasiparticles, directly observe collision events using laser pulses, and shed light on quasiparticles and many-body excitations in condensed matter systems. The findings demonstrate that basic collider concepts from particle physics can be transferred to solid-state research.
Scientists encode chaos on a weak light signal using stochastic resonance in an optomechanical microresonator. The discovery could have implications for secure optical communications and high-performance sensing.
Rice experts unveil a submicroscopic tunable, optical amplifier that generates infrared light and boosts the output of one light by capturing energy from a second light. The innovation is a single nanoparticle serving as an optical parametric amplifier, with potential applications in chemical sensing and molecular imaging.