Articles tagged with Light
Researchers create 3D light fields to excite electrons into previously inaccessible quantum states, opening up new avenues for investigating chiral structures and controlling light-matter interactions. This approach could lead to advances in chiral sensing and molecular chirality studies.
Researchers develop a new technique called Light-Induced Spindle Activation (LISA) to study centrosomes and spindle assembly in greater detail. LISA reversibly activates Aurora A kinase, a key centrosomal enzyme critical for spindle assembly, and can be applied directly in living cells.
Researchers at ISTA develop a light-driven nickel catalyst for efficient chemical synthesis, overcoming limitations of traditional palladium-based methods. The new catalyst requires less nickel and can activate with visible light, making it a promising alternative for sustainable chemical production.
Researchers at Kyushu University have developed a novel molecule that can produce fluorescence and serve as an MRI contrast agent, addressing limitations of current imaging techniques. The molecule, a water-soluble and metal-free compound, demonstrates improved imaging depth and reduced toxicity compared to existing agents.
Researchers created dye-sensitized nanoparticles that absorb low-energy photons and emit high-energy photons, enabling highly sensitive chemical sensing. The particles can detect target chemicals at very low concentrations, even tiny traces of chemical pollutants in groundwater.
Researchers developed a kinetic method to assemble 2D organic crystals into vertical heterostructures, achieving a high vertical epitaxy yield of over 70%. The resulting structures exhibit tunable light emission due to the unique twist angle and lattice matching between the crystals.
A team of researchers from Wits and Bordeaux demonstrated a new way to send information through the atmosphere without correcting for atmospheric distortion. The findings, published in Science Advances, could help pave the way for more reliable long-distance optical communication, including links to satellites and spacecraft.
A review in Brain Medicine argues that industrialization changed sleep timing and regularity, not duration, with hunter-gatherers sleeping between 6.4 and 7.1 hours a night, less than the industrialized average. The distinction matters, as it highlights the importance of timing and regularity in sleep patterns.
Researchers create unique 'artificial fingerprints' using nanoparticles that can be authenticated with smartphone flashlight and laser pointer. The technology has potential applications in anti-counterfeiting and electronic device authentication.
Researchers developed a quantum light translator that preserves phase information through four-wave mixing, enabling secure communication networks and quantum computing. The study demonstrates strong phase preservation across a wide range of operating conditions, with correlations exceeding 0.95 in some cases.
A study led by Penn State researchers found that controlling red and blue wavelengths of white light can impact how people experience indoor temperatures, with a 1.3-degree Fahrenheit difference possible. The study aims to reduce heating and cooling demands and improve energy savings by widening people's thermal comfort zone.
A research team at Pohang University of Science and Technology developed technologies for producing sharp full-color images using metalenses, addressing two major challenges: high optical performance and scalable manufacturing. The team solved the issue of achromatic performance by controlling the height of nanoscale pillars, enabling ...
A German research team has successfully generated stable laser pulses in the femtosecond range, allowing for the manipulation of individual electrons. The team's achievement enables the stability of the electric field oscillations across a wide range of timescales, from microseconds to hours.
Researchers at NUS CDE developed electrochemiluminescent devices that crank brightness up to 1,552 candelas per square metre, making them suitable for wearable and underwater applications. The devices produce a steady, continuous glow and can run on small batteries.
Researchers at the University of Rochester have developed a lower-cost imaging system that overcomes challenges in near-infrared light transmission through deep tissue and dense fog. The AI-enhanced time-gating technique produces clearer images in these environments, improving applications such as cancer detection and LiDAR systems.
Researchers at DTU Electro have developed a method to double the usable wavelength range of ultra-low-noise supercontinuum lasers in a single fiber. This breakthrough enables stable broadband light with exceptionally low noise, benefiting medical imaging, gas sensing, and spectroscopy. The new source spans from 0.86 to 2.90 micrometers...
Researchers at MIT have discovered a method to extend the lifespan of quantum dot LEDs by encapsulating them in an acrylate-based resin. This breakthrough has the potential to revolutionize the development of energy-efficient digital displays, including flat-screen TVs, augmented and virtual reality headsets, smartphone screens, and me...
Researchers developed gallium-doped zinc oxide nanosheets that can detect red, green, and blue light while remaining nearly transparent. These nanosheets enabled the detection of full-color images with half the error of conventional cameras, making them suitable for demanding environments like space hardware and automotive systems.
A study of 87,577 adults found that average daytime light exposure above 1,000 lux reduced dementia risk by 16%. Longer exposure to bright light was associated with an even greater reduction in risk. Daytime light exposure was stronger predictor of dementia than established risk factors.
Researchers developed a non-contact optical sensing strategy to detect ethanol molecules in air using light-field distortions and deep learning. The system employs a graphene-based Fresnel lens to focus light through interference, capturing minute changes in the focal spot formed by the lens.
Researchers developed a chip-based metasurface biosensor to detect traumatic brain injury (TBI) biomarkers at extremely low levels. The technology could help doctors make faster diagnoses after head injuries, guiding treatment decisions.
Researchers have developed a non-invasive method to determine chicken egg sex, assess quality, and detect fertilization using light-based optical spectroscopy. The technique could curb the practice of killing billions of male chicks at birth, reducing animal suffering and promoting more sustainable farming practices.
Researchers develop a surface-engineering method that enables efficient electroluminescence from lanthanide nanocrystals, overcoming their insulating nature. The approach promotes fast intersystem crossing and efficient triplet-energy transfer, leading to high-performance light-emitting diode devices with multicolor emission.
Scientists create a moiré metasurface to map right- and left-handed regions in materials, visualizing chirality as two-dimensional images. The new approach resolves chirality distributions with a resolution of approximately 100 μm.
Researchers at the University of Rochester developed a solar-thermal desalination process that produces fresh water in an energy-efficient way, eliminating brine and requiring no chemical additives. The technology extracts nearly 100% of salts in solid form, producing table salt and precious minerals like lithium.
Scientists have successfully decoded the polarization cipher of high-energy electrons, demonstrating a new pathway to creating highly polarized gamma-ray sources. The study's findings confirm key predictions of quantum electrodynamics and open up new design options for mid- to high-energy gamma-ray sources.
Researchers have developed a tiny sensor that can measure forces and twisting motions using light, enabling robots and medical devices to 'feel' what they are touching. The new sensor could make delicate medical procedures more controlled and reduce the risk of accidental damage.
Researchers at the University of East Anglia have discovered that light can be programmed using its natural geometry, allowing for the creation of structured light with unique properties. This breakthrough has far-reaching implications for fields such as medicine, data transmission, and quantum technologies.
Researchers create molecular crystal with reversible color changes spanning from green to orange-red upon mechanical stress or pressure. The material exhibits adaptive intermolecular interactions and structural flexibility, enabling stimulus-responsive luminescence.
Researchers propose a new approach to secure optical communication by hiding information in the physical structure of light, making it difficult for unauthorized parties to intercept or decode. Computer simulations showed that the method can transmit information reliably without revealing it through changes in beam size or intensity.
A team of researchers developed a practical method to align lobster-eye X-ray optics for space telescopes, enabling the detection of distant gamma-ray bursts with high accuracy. The approach was tested on a prototype structure and achieved precise alignment within five arcminutes.
Researchers at Stanford University have developed a non-invasive method to deliver light to specific locations in the body using nanomaterials and ultrasound waves. This technique provides a potential roadmap for easier, less invasive light-based treatments, with applications in biology, medicine, and gene editing.
A new laser source generates a specific type of light source called a frequency comb in the mid-infrared region, paving the way for miniaturization. The device overcomes engineering challenges to produce bright, stable, and compact frequency combs.
Patients with atrial fibrillation have a higher risk of adverse cardiovascular events, including stroke, heart attack, and cardiac arrest. Serum neurofilament light chain levels can serve as a biomarker for cardiovascular risk in these patients.
Engineers at Harvard create microcombs on photonic chips, enabling compact, programmable frequency combs for precision measurement and telecommunications applications. The breakthrough makes electro-optic microcombs more practical, energy efficient, and diverse.
Researchers from the University of Twente are studying the optical properties of human milk to understand the causes of lactation insufficiency. The combined findings from two studies aid the development of light scattering based methods for human milk analysis, providing a powerful tool for research into lactation insufficiency.
Physicists at the University of Colorado Boulder have demonstrated a new kind of vacuum ultraviolet laser that is 100 to 1,000 times more efficient than existing technologies. The device could enable scientists to observe phenomena currently out of reach, such as following fuel molecules in real time as they undergo combustion, spottin...
The Harvard researchers' new device is elegantly designed to be tunable, with a bilayer design that becomes geometrically chiral and able to 'read' chiral light. By using the MEMS device to continuously vary the twist angle and interlayer spacing, the team showed they could tune the device's intrinsic ability to read different chiral l...
Researchers demonstrate nanosecond optical switching using a liquid crystal droplet that redirects stored energy without electrical input. This method manipulates stored optical energy inside a resonant structure, enabling ultrafast light-by-light switching.
Researchers developed a simple and reversible method for forming crystals using light-sensitive molecules, allowing for precise control over particle attraction and repulsion. This enables the creation of adaptable materials with tunable properties, such as reconfigurable optical coatings and adaptive sensors.
Researchers at Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have discovered a new way to generate ultra-precise, evenly spaced laser light combs on a photonic chip. This breakthrough could miniaturize optical platforms like spectroscopic sensors or communication systems.
A new treatment developed by EMBRAPA uses modulated UV-C light to combat anthracnose in guavas. The technique increases the fruit's natural resistance to microorganisms, preserving quality and shelf life.
A new optical amplifier developed at Stanford University can intensify light signals up to 100 times with minimal power loss. The device's efficiency allows it to be powered by a battery, enabling its potential use in smartphones and laptops.
Researchers at MIT have developed a faster and more energy-efficient method for cooling trapped ions using photonic chips. This approach achieved cooling to about 10 times below the limit of standard laser cooling, opening up new possibilities for quantum computing systems with greater efficiency and stability.
The Rice University team, led by Naomi Halas and Peter Nordlander, has been recognized for its work on advancing light-driven technologies for sustainable ammonia synthesis. The project aims to improve light-based catalysts and reactor prototypes while scaling up sustainable production processes.
Scientists at SwissFEL have developed a technique known as X-ray four-wave mixing, allowing them to access coherences in matter for the first time. This breakthrough has the potential to illuminate how quantum information is stored and lost, ultimately aiding the design of more error-tolerant quantum devices.
A team from Harvard and University of Lisbon found that silica, a low-refractive index material, can be used for making metasurfaces despite long-held assumptions. They discovered that by carefully considering the geometry of each nanopillar, silica behaves as a metasurface, enabling efficient design of devices with relaxed feature sizes.
Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute have successfully implemented mode-locking to generate coherent trains of X-ray pulses with unprecedented temporal structure. This achievement enables attosecond science and opens up new experimental possibilities, including precise timing of phenomena in gases, liquids, and solids.
A team of researchers at the University of Pennsylvania has designed a new light-controlled cholesterol molecule that selectively targets two poorly understood sterol transport proteins, ORP1 and ORP2. This breakthrough enables precise spatiotemporal control over cholesterol's biological activity, paving the way for advanced therapeutics.
The field of quantum structured light has transformed the way we communicate, measure and process information by combining quantum information with spatial and temporal structures of light. This technology enables simpler and faster circuits for quantum computing, as well as improved resolution techniques in imaging and metrology.
Researchers have demonstrated how controlling the structure of photons in space and time enables tailored quantum states for next-generation communication, sensing, and imaging. This breakthrough offers new pathways for high-capacity quantum communication and advanced technologies.
Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have discovered that the magnetic component of light plays a direct role in the Faraday Effect, challenging a 180-year-old scientific understanding. The discovery shows that light can magnetically influence matter, not just illuminate it.
Researchers at Rice University have developed a new method to generate radio wave patterns that can identify signal direction with unprecedented accuracy, enabling rapid establishment of wireless links. This breakthrough enables high data-rate links to form almost as soon as the signal is sent.
Researchers at Rice University have discovered that light can trigger a physical shift in atomic lattice, creating tunable behavior and properties in transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) materials. This effect could advance technologies using light instead of electricity, such as faster computer chips and ultrasensitive sensors.
Researchers at the University of Turku developed a new innovative approach to create colour-tunable white OLEDs. By using a standard sky-blue, metal-free molecule and reshaping its light using a microcavity, they eliminated the need for scarce indium tin oxide and complicated RGB colour mixing.
A cohort study found that night light exposure was a significant risk factor for developing cardiovascular diseases among adults over 40. Avoiding light at night may be a useful strategy for reducing the risks of cardiovascular diseases.
A new platform allows researchers to study the forces that bind tiny objects together, revealing insights into self-assembly processes and fundamental forces in nature. The platform uses gold flakes in a salt solution, with light bouncing back and forth through nanometre-sized cavities to display colors.
A new AI tool, SpectroGen, uses generative AI to quickly assess material quality by generating spectra in less than one minute. It can replace traditional methods that take several hours or days, improving productivity and efficiency in industries such as manufacturing and pharmaceuticals.
A recent study found that light color affects phytoplankton growth and nutrient cycling in lake ecosystems. The researchers discovered that the less light available to microalgae, the more important the color of light became for their growth.
Scientists have discovered how to generate an electron gas by illuminating a material made of layers of oxides, enabling light-controlled electronic components. This breakthrough could lead to applications in spintronics and quantum computing, with potential energy savings of up to a third of electrical contacts on computer processors.