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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.

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A dynamic twist of light’s ‘handedness’

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...

Generating micro-combs of light

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.

Microscopic mirrors for future quantum networks

The Harvard team developed a new microfabrication method to produce high-performance, curved optical mirrors with extremely smooth surfaces. The mirrors can control light at near-infrared wavelengths, enabling fast and efficient quantum networking.

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

Reshaping gold leads to new electronic and optical properties

By changing the physical structure of gold, researchers can drastically change its interaction with light, leading to enhanced electronic behavior and improved absorption of light energy. This study demonstrates the potential of nanoporous gold as a new design parameter for engineering materials in advanced technologies.

An unexpected breakthrough in flat optics

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.

Kono awarded American Physical Society’s Isakson Prize

Kono recognized for his contributions to optical physics, light-condensed matter interactions and photonic applications of nanosystems. His research explores how light interacts with materials at the nanoscale, potentially leading to new technologies in electronics and quantum communication.

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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.

New technique can dramatically improve laser linewidth

Researchers at Macquarie University developed a new technique to narrow laser linewidth by factors exceeding 10,000 using diamond crystals and Raman scattering. This breakthrough could revolutionize quantum computing, atomic clocks, and gravitational wave detection with improved spectral purity.

Near-perfect defects in 2D material could serve as quantum bits

Scientists at Rice University have developed a scalable method to create high-performance single-photon emitters in carbon-doped hexagonal boron nitride, paving the way for practical quantum light sources. The findings overcome long-standing challenges in the field and set a new benchmark for qubit production.

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Do neurons transmit light?

Scientists investigate whether living neurons can transport light through their axons, which would significantly change current models of the nervous system. If successful, it could have major implications for treating brain diseases and healing the brain.

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Scientists observe exotic quantum phase once thought impossible

Researchers have directly observed a superradiant phase transition (SRPT) in a magnetic crystal, overcoming a long-standing limitation in theoretical physics. The phenomenon occurs when two groups of quantum particles fluctuate collectively without external triggers, forming a new state of matter with unique properties.

Doubling down on metasurfaces

A new bilayer metasurface, made of two stacked layers of titanium dioxide nanostructures, has been created by Harvard researchers. This device can precisely control the behavior of light, including polarization, and opens up a new avenue for metasurfaces.

Twisting atomically thin materials could advance quantum computers

Scientists at the University of Rochester have discovered a way to create artificial atoms within twisted monolayers of molybdenum diselenide, retaining information when activated by light. This breakthrough could lead to new types of quantum devices, such as memory or nodes in a quantum network.

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Light-powered breakthrough enables precision tuning of quantum dots

Researchers at NC State University have developed a new technique to tune the optical properties of quantum dots using light, reducing energy consumption and environmental impact. This method allows for precise control over the bandgap, enabling the creation of high-quality perovskite quantum dots for optoelectronic devices.

Scientists learn how to make nanotubes that point in one direction

Researchers at Tokyo Metropolitan University have developed a new technique to grow arrayed tungsten disulfide nanotubes with aligned orientations. This breakthrough resolves the issue of jumbled orientations in collected amounts of nanotubes, enabling the exploration of exotic electric and optoelectronic properties.

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Novel quantum materials in the spotlight

German physicist Christian Schneider has been awarded a European Research Council Consolidator Grant to study the optical properties of two-dimensional materials. His team plans to develop experimental set-ups to investigate the unique properties of these materials, which could lead to new applications in quantum technologies.

Enhanced wavelength conversion to advance quantum information networks

Researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University develop a novel method for broadband frequency conversion using X-cut thin film lithium niobate, achieving a bandwidth of up to 13 nanometers. This breakthrough enables on-chip tunable frequency conversion, opening the door to enhanced quantum light sources and larger capacity multiplexing.

AI speeds up the discovery of energy and quantum materials.

Researchers developed a new AI model that predicts optical properties across a wide range of light frequencies using only a material's crystal structure as input. This enables highly precise predictions, making it suitable for screening materials for high-performance solar cells and detecting quantum materials.

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Unique nanodisk pushing photonic research forward

Scientists at Chalmers University of Technology have successfully combined nonlinear and high-index nanophotonics in a single nanoobject, creating a disk-like structure with unique optical properties. The discovery has great potential for developing efficient and compact nonlinear optical devices.

New technology uses light to engrave erasable 3D images

Researchers at Dartmouth College developed a technique using light to imprint 2D and 3D images inside any polymer containing a photosensitive chemical additive. The technology enables the creation of erasable 3D displays with high resolution, applicable in surgeries, architectural designs, education, and art.

Paving the way to extremely fast, compact computer memory

The layered multiferroic material nickel iodide (NiI2) has been found to have greater magnetoelectric coupling than any known material of its kind, making it a prime candidate for technology advances. This property could enable the creation of magnetic computer memories that are compact, energy-efficient and can be stored and retrieved...

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Rice research shows promise for advancing quantum networks

Rice University engineers have demonstrated a way to control the optical properties of T centers, paving the way toward leveraging these point defects for building quantum nodes. By embedding a T center in a photonic integrated circuit, they increased the collection efficiency for single photon emission by two orders of magnitude.

Metamaterials and AI converge, igniting innovative breakthroughs

Researchers have made significant breakthroughs by harnessing AI in metamaterials research, leading to faster device development and more precise data analysis. This convergence of AI and metaphotonics has the potential to transform various domains, including diagnosis, environmental monitoring, and security.

Spontaneous curvature the key to shape-shifting nanomaterials

Scientists have identified spontaneous curvature as the factor determining how ultra-thin materials transform into useful tubes, twists, and helices. This process mimics nature's design and could lead to breakthroughs in creating chiral materials with exceptional properties.

Accurate and inexpensive approach for optical biopsy

Researchers developed a novel machine learning-based approach to analyze diffuse reflectance spectroscopy data, achieving higher accuracies and speeds than existing methods. The 'wavelength-independent regressor' model overcomes use-error limitations by incorporating diverse datasets, making it suitable for clinical settings.

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

Hacking DNA to make next-gen materials

Researchers at Brookhaven National Laboratory have developed a universal method for producing functional 3D metallic and semiconductor nanostructures using DNA. The new method produces robust nanostructures from multiple material classes, opening opportunities for 3D nanoscale manufacturing.

TU Graz researchers optimize 3D printing of optically active nanostructures

Researchers at TU Graz have made a breakthrough in manufacturing complex, free-standing 3D nanoarchitectures with precise shapes and sizes. They achieved this by precisely simulating the required optical properties in advance and completely removing chemical impurities, enabling new optical effects and application concepts.

Laser-driving a 2D material

Researchers at Columbia University paired laser light with crystal lattice vibrations to boost the nonlinear optical properties of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), a stable 2D material. The team achieved over a 30-fold increase in third-harmonic generation, generating new frequencies and efficiently producing optical signals.

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

Atomic dance gives rise to a magnet

Researchers at Rice University have discovered a way to transform a rare-earth crystal into a magnet by using chirality in phonons. Chirality, or the twisting of atoms' motion, breaks time-reversal symmetry and aligns electron spins, creating a magnetic effect.

Chemists, engineers craft adjustable arrays of microscopic lenses

Scientists at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have developed a system that can adjust the size, shape, and refractive index of microscopic lenses in real-time. The design uses hydrogels and polydimethylsiloxane to create a dynamic platform for soft robotics and liquid optics applications.

Move over carbon, the nanotube family just got bigger

Researchers have engineered a range of new single-walled transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) nanotubes with different compositions, chirality, and diameters. The ability to synthesize diverse structures offers insights into their growth mechanism and novel optical properties.

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

3D-printed plasmonic plastic enables large-scale optical sensor production

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology developed 3D-printed plasmonic plastic, enabling the mass production of optical sensors that can detect hydrogen gas. The composite material has unique optical properties, allowing it to filter out molecules except hydrogen, making it ideal for various applications.

Realizing ultrafast imaging from 2D to quasi 3D

Scientists at Beijing Institute of Technology have developed an ultrafast quasi-three-dimensional technique, enabling higher dimensions to analyze ultrafast processes. This method breaks through the limitations of original observational dimensions, enhancing our ability to analyze ultra-fast processes comprehensively.

Texas A&M's McKay receives NSF CAREER Award

Dr. McKay will investigate the chemical composition of chromophores in DOM using advanced analytical tools and conduct measurements at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. His research aims to enhance predictions regarding DOM behavior and reactivity in the environment.

Helical and striped arrangement of conducting polymers

Researchers have created a new type of conducting polymer with a helically grown structure, which can emit circularly polarized light. The polymer's radicals are arranged in a helical shape and can be aligned into stripe-like structures when exposed to a magnetic field.