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A clear roadmap for engineering combs of light

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.

Could light-powered computers reduce AI’s energy use?

A new prototype device accelerates and reduces energy cost of AI computation by encoding data into light patterns, enabling faster and more efficient processing. This innovation aims to ease the energy bottleneck in AI technology, making it more sustainable and accessible for various applications.

Apple iPhone 17 Pro

Apple iPhone 17 Pro delivers top performance and advanced cameras for field documentation, data collection, and secure research communications.

From light to logic

McMaster and Pittsburgh researchers have developed a soft material that can perform a NAND logic operation using only three beams of visible light. The breakthrough paves the way for autonomous systems with computation capabilities without traditional electronics.

Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 46mm)

Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 46mm) tracks health metrics and safety alerts during long observing sessions, fieldwork, and remote expeditions.

The playbook for perfect polaritons

Researchers at Columbia University have identified the rules for creating perfect polaritons, which are hybrid quasiparticles combining light and matter. The guiding rules include large optical absorption, low disorder, and inherent exciton delocalization, enabling polaritons to preserve coherence despite strong interactions and disorder.

Denmark can now contribute to producing world-class chips

The POEM Technology Center in Denmark will produce advanced wafers for photonic chips, enabling the development of high-speed communication and optical data processing. The facility will also facilitate the production of quantum chips, a key component in large-scale quantum computing.

Digital to analog in one smooth step

The new Harvard device can turn purely digital electronic inputs into analog optical signals at high speeds, addressing the bottleneck of computing and data interconnects. It has the potential to enable advances in microwave photonics and emerging optical computing approaches.

SAMSUNG T9 Portable SSD 2TB

SAMSUNG T9 Portable SSD 2TB transfers large imagery and model outputs quickly between field laptops, lab workstations, and secure archives.

Exploring the evolution of decentralized networks in real-world systems

This book provides a beginner-friendly resource on the impact and evolution of decentralized networks, highlighting their applications in healthcare, supply chains, agriculture, climate monitoring, and education. The authors emphasize sustainability, data security, and ethical tech adoption.

A technological breakthrough for ultra-fast and greener AI

Researchers from Université Laval designed an ultra-fast and greener optical chip that can transfer massive amounts of data at speeds of 1,000 gigabits per second while reducing energy consumption. This innovation uses the phase of light to add a new dimension to the signal, reaching unprecedented performance levels.

Boson sampling finds first practical applications in quantum AI

Researchers from OIST develop new quantum AI method for image recognition based on boson sampling, achieving highly accurate results without complex training. The approach uses a linear optical network and preserves information, outperforming classical methods in various datasets.

DJI Air 3 (RC-N2)

DJI Air 3 (RC-N2) captures 4K mapping passes and environmental surveys with dual cameras, long flight time, and omnidirectional obstacle sensing.

A multimodal light manipulator

Researchers at Harvard created a new type of interferometer that can modulate aspects of light in one compact package, enabling precise control over light's frequency and intensity. This breakthrough has the potential to be used in advanced nanophotonic sensors or on-chip quantum computing.

Nikon Monarch 5 8x42 Binoculars

Nikon Monarch 5 8x42 Binoculars deliver bright, sharp views for wildlife surveys, eclipse chases, and quick star-field scans at dark sites.

A new optical memory platform for super fast calculations

Researchers developed a groundbreaking photonic platform to overcome limitations in in-memory computing, enabling faster calculations and greater efficiency. The innovative magneto-optical memories consume about one-tenth the power of traditional electronics and can be rewritten billions of times.

Macroscopic oscillators move as one at the quantum level

Scientists successfully prepared six mechanical oscillators in a collective state, observing phenomena that emerge when oscillators act as a group. The research demonstrates experimental confirmation of theories about collective quantum behavior, opening new possibilities for quantum sensing and generation of multi-partite entanglement.

Large-scale programmable logic array achieves complex computations

Researchers developed a large-scale optical programmable logic array that can execute complex models like Conway's Game of Life, marking a significant advancement in optical computing. The array uses parallel spectrum modulation to achieve an 8-input system, significantly expanding the capabilities of optical logic operations.

Solving computationally hard problems with 3D integrated photonics

Researchers have developed a reconfigurable three-dimensional integrated photonic processor specifically designed to tackle the subset sum problem, a classic NP-complete challenge. The processor operates by allowing photons in a light beam to explore all possible paths simultaneously, providing answers in parallel and demonstrating hig...

A multi-level breakthrough in optical computing

Researchers from Pitt, UC Santa Barbara, University of Cagliari, and Institute of Science Tokyo have developed a new method for photonic in-memory computing that combines non-volatility, multibit storage, high switching speed, low switching energy, and high endurance in a single platform.

GQ GMC-500Plus Geiger Counter

GQ GMC-500Plus Geiger Counter logs beta, gamma, and X-ray levels for environmental monitoring, training labs, and safety demonstrations.

3D printing method could enable better micro energy storage

Researchers at KTH Royal Institute of Technology have developed a novel 3D printing method to fabricate glass micro-supercapacitors with enhanced performance. The approach utilizes ultrashort laser pulses to create electrodes with increased surface area and rapid ion transport, leading to improved energy storage capabilities.

Paralleled and multiplexed all-optical logic operation

Researchers developed a novel optical computation architecture called diffraction casting, which leverages spatial parallelism of light to perform computations. This method overcomes limitations of previous techniques by using wave optics, enabling scalable and parallel logic operations with high flexibility and integration capability.

Logic with light

Researchers at the University of Tokyo introduce a new optical computing scheme called diffraction casting, which improves upon existing methods. The system uses light waves to perform logic operations and has shown promise in running complex calculations, including those used in machine learning.

Aranet4 Home CO2 Monitor

Aranet4 Home CO2 Monitor tracks ventilation quality in labs, classrooms, and conference rooms with long battery life and clear e-ink readouts.

Photonic computation with sound waves

A research team has successfully created a new dimension in photonic machine learning by incorporating sound waves, enabling the creation of reconfigurable neuromorphic building blocks. This innovation has the potential to revolutionize computing tasks by providing high-speed and large-capacity solutions.

Optical computing boost with diffractive network advance

Researchers extend spatially incoherent diffractive networks to perform complex-valued linear transformations with negligible error, opening up new applications in fields like autonomous vehicles. This breakthrough enables the encryption and decryption of complex-valued images using spatially incoherent diffractive networks.

Solid-state qubits: Forget about being clean, embrace mess

Researchers at Paul Scherrer Institute created solid-state qubits from rare-earth ions in a crystal, showing that long coherences can exist in cluttered environments. The approach uses strongly interacting pairs of ions to form qubits, which are shielded from the environment and protected from decoherence.

Rigol DP832 Triple-Output Bench Power Supply

Rigol DP832 Triple-Output Bench Power Supply powers sensors, microcontrollers, and test circuits with programmable rails and stable outputs.

Precise control of photonic angular momentum

The development of a new photonic technique enables the precise control of photonic angular momentum, allowing for the efficient recognition and real-time control of total angular momentum modes. The technique, which involves the symmetrical cascading of two units, has been experimentally demonstrated to recognize up to 42 individual T...

Simplified optical neural network component saves space and energy

Researchers designed a simplified Mach-Zehnder interferometer mesh for real-valued matrix-vector multiplication, reducing hardware requirements and energy consumption. The new mesh detects incoherent light and is scalable, making it suitable for large-scale optical neural networks.

Light-based computing scheme reduces power needed to mine cryptocurrencies

Researchers developed a new photonic blockchain called LightHash that uses a silicon photonics chip to reduce energy consumption in cryptocurrency mining. The approach could enable low-energy optical computing, reducing data centers' energy consumption and paving the way for more eco-friendly cryptocurrencies.

CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt 4 Dock

CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt 4 Dock simplifies serious desks with 18 ports for high-speed storage, monitors, and instruments across Mac and PC setups.

New approach to developing efficient, high-precision 3D light shapers

Scientists create a simple approach to fabricating highly precise 3D aperiodic photonic volume elements (APVEs) for various applications. The method uses direct laser writing to arrange voxels of specific refractive indices in glass, enabling the precise control of light flow and achieving record-high diffraction efficiency.

New optical computing approach offers ultrafast processing

Researchers at Aalto University have developed a new optical computing approach that uses circularly polarized light to operate logic gates, resulting in ultrafast processing speeds. The technology operates about one million times faster than existing technologies and can be integrated into a single device.

Anker Laptop Power Bank 25,000mAh (Triple 100W USB-C)

Anker Laptop Power Bank 25,000mAh (Triple 100W USB-C) keeps Macs, tablets, and meters powered during extended observing runs and remote surveys.

Changing the color of quantum light on an integrated chip

Researchers at Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have developed an integrated electro-optic modulator that can efficiently change the frequency and bandwidth of single photons on a chip. This device could be used for more advanced quantum computing and quantum networks.

An on-chip time-lens generates ultrafast pulses

Harvard scientists create a high-performance on-chip femtosecond pulse source using a time lens, enabling broadband, high-intensity pulse sources. The device is highly tunable, integrated onto a small chip and requires reduced power compared to traditional table-top systems.

New on-chip frequency comb is 100x more efficient

A team from Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences has developed an electro-optic frequency comb that is 100-times more efficient and has more than twice the bandwidth of previous state-of-the-art versions.

Kestrel 3000 Pocket Weather Meter

Kestrel 3000 Pocket Weather Meter measures wind, temperature, and humidity in real time for site assessments, aviation checks, and safety briefings.

Diamonds are for quantum sensing

A team of researchers at the University of Tsukuba has developed a new method for measuring tiny changes in magnetic fields using nitrogen-vacancy defects in diamonds. This breakthrough could lead to more accurate quantum sensors and spintronic computers, enabling precise monitoring of temperature, magnetic, and electric fields.

New nanomechanical oscillators with record-low loss

Scientists have created nanomechanical resonators with extremely high quality factors using a regular polygon design, leading to compact devices for sensing weak forces. The new design allows for precision force sensing with sensitivity approaching state-of-the-art atomic force microscopes.

Harnessing the powers of light to operate computers

Scientists at the University of Tsukuba have created a nanocavity in a waveguide that selectively modifies short light pulses, enabling the development of ultrafast optical pulse shaping. This breakthrough may lead to the creation of new all-optical computers that operate based on light.

AmScope B120C-5M Compound Microscope

AmScope B120C-5M Compound Microscope supports teaching labs and QA checks with LED illumination, mechanical stage, and included 5MP camera.

Harnessing noise in optical computing for AI

A team at the University of Washington has created an optical computing system that not only reduces noise but also utilizes it to improve creative output. The system uses a Generative Adversarial Network and demonstrates the viability of this technology at a large scale.

Shifting colors for on-chip photonics

On-chip frequency shifters in the gigahertz range enable precise color shifting for high-speed optical communication. This innovation has significant implications for the development of quantum computers and future network infrastructure.

Ultrafast optical switching can save overwhelmed datacenters

Researchers have demonstrated ultrafast optical circuit switching for datacenters using integrated soliton microcombs, which can handle increasing bursty datacenter applications while reducing overheads. The proposed architecture employs a central comb system to improve power efficiency and reduce complexity.

Fluke 87V Industrial Digital Multimeter

Fluke 87V Industrial Digital Multimeter is a trusted meter for precise measurements during instrument integration, repairs, and field diagnostics.

Diffractive networks light the way for optical image classification

Researchers at UCLA have developed Diffractive Deep Neural Networks (D2NNs) for all-optical object classification, achieving higher accuracy than individual constituent D2NNs and digital AI models. The success of the ensemble learning approach demonstrates the power of combining multiple predictions to obtain a more accurate prediction.

Accelerating AI computing to the speed of light

A team of researchers has developed an optical computing core prototype using phase-change material, accelerating neural networks and reducing energy consumption for AI applications. The technology is scalable and directly applicable to cloud computing, making it a promising solution for the growing demands of AI online.

A nanoscale laser made of gold and zinc oxide

Researchers have created a nanoscale laser made of gold and zinc oxide, which can precisely localize and amplify incident laser light. The hybrid nanomaterial has the potential to be used as ultrafast optical switches or transistors in future optical computers.

Sony Alpha a7 IV (Body Only)

Sony Alpha a7 IV (Body Only) delivers reliable low-light performance and rugged build for astrophotography, lab documentation, and field expeditions.

New optical materials break digital connectivity barriers

Researchers at Tel Aviv University have discovered novel nanoscale 'metamaterial' that could serve as future ultra-high-speed computing units. These nonlinear metamaterials can be used to develop active optical components essential to the manufacture of ultra-high-speed optics-based computer chips.