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Quark-like wave modes help stabilize fragile fractional vortices

Researchers stabilize fractional orbital angular momentum modes by confining them into stable integer-charged composite states. This 'locally fractional, globally integer' behavior provides a new route to control fractional vortices.

SourceScience China Press·JournalScience Bulletin·TypeExperimental study·DateJul 3, 2026

Chiral phonons create orbital current via their own magnetism

Chiral phonons can generate orbital currents in common crystal materials without needing magnetic elements, offering a promising path to developing less expensive and energy-efficient orbitronic devices. This breakthrough is made possible by the intrinsic magnetism of chiral phonons, which allows them to convert into orbital current.

SourceNorth Carolina State University·JournalNature Physics·TypeExperimental study·DateJan 21, 2026

Self-imaging of structured light in new dimensions

Researchers at Tampere University and Kastler-Brossel Laboratory have demonstrated self-imaging of light in cylindrical systems, facilitating unprecedented control of light's structure. They also explore a new type of space-time duality, bridging different fields of optics.

SourceTampere University·JournalNature Photonics·DateFeb 21, 2025
Celestron NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope

Celestron NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope combines portable Schmidt-Cassegrain optics with GoTo pointing for outreach nights and field campaigns.

Breakthrough in opto-magnetic technology: 5-fold increase in torque efficiency

Researchers at Tohoku University have achieved a significant advancement in opto-magnetic technology, observing an opto-magnetic torque approximately five times more efficient than in conventional magnets. This breakthrough enables the production of opto-magnetic effects with only one-fifth of the previous light intensity.

SourceAdvanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR), Tohoku University·JournalPhysical Review Letters·DateFeb 6, 2025

A connection between quantum theory and information theory proved

Researchers from Linköping University confirmed a direct connection between quantum theory and information theory, revealing the degree of unknown information in a quantum system. The study used a new experimental setup to demonstrate the equivalence of entropic uncertainty with wave-particle duality.

SourceLinköping University·JournalScience Advances·DateDec 6, 2024

Orbitronics: New material property advances energy-efficient tech

Researchers have discovered chiral topological semi-metals that possess properties making them suitable for generating currents of orbital angular momentum (OAM) flows. This breakthrough paves the way for the development of energy-efficient devices in orbitronics, a potential alternative to traditional electronics.

SourcePaul Scherrer Institute·JournalNature Physics·TypeExperimental study·DateSep 27, 2024
SAMSUNG T9 Portable SSD 2TB

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Gigahertz-rate switchable wavefront shaping by LNOI-empowered metasurface

A team of researchers has successfully integrated a metasurface with photonic integrated circuits, enabling fast and tunable control over light manipulation. The device can shape any wavefront in reconfigurable arbitrary polarization states at speeds of up to 1.4 gigahertz.

SourceSPIE--International Society for Optics and Photonics·JournalAdvanced Photonics·DateApr 16, 2024

Holography breakthrough with OAML multiplexing

A new technique using optical orbital angular momentum lattice (OAML) multiplexed holography boosts information storage capacity and offers novel approaches for implementing high-capacity holographic systems. The research unlocks supplementary encrypted dimensions, enhancing storage capacity and overcoming limitations of traditional me...

SourceSPIE--International Society for Optics and Photonics·JournalAdvanced Photonics Nexus·DateJan 17, 2024

Orbital-angular-momentum-encoded diffractive networks for object classification tasks

Researchers developed three diffractive deep neural networks using orbital angular momentum to recognize objects in images, achieving accuracy comparable to wavelength and polarization-based models. The technology has potential for real-time processing applications like image recognition and data-intensive tasks.

SourceSPIE--International Society for Optics and Photonics·JournalAdvanced Photonics Nexus·DateNov 27, 2023

Boomerang-like beams of light

Scientists superposed two light beams twisted in the clockwise direction to create anti-clockwise twists in the dark regions of the resultant superposition. This discovery represents a step towards observing a peculiar phenomenon known as quantum backflow.

SourceUniversity of Warsaw, Faculty of Physics·JournalOptica·DateNov 20, 2023

Revolutionizing radar: Integrated THz emitter for precise rotating target detection

Researchers have developed an integrated THz vortex beam emitter to detect rotating targets with remarkable precision. The system uses spiraling electromagnetic waves with orbital angular momentum to accurately measure the speed of a rotating object, with a maximum margin of error of just around 2 percent.

SourceSPIE--International Society for Optics and Photonics·JournalAdvanced Photonics·DateOct 20, 2023
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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...

SourceSPIE--International Society for Optics and Photonics·JournalAdvanced Photonics·DateOct 18, 2023

Physicists demonstrate powerful physics phenomenon

Researchers at Ohio State University have detected a previously unknown physics phenomenon, the orbital Hall effect, which could revolutionize data storage in future computer devices. The study's findings suggest that utilizing orbital currents instead of spin currents could lead to lower energy consumption and higher speeds.

SourceOhio State University·JournalPhysical Review Letters·DateOct 13, 2023

Spin-orbit optical Rabi oscillations

Researchers have observed simultaneous oscillations of spin and orbital angular momentum in weak and strong coupling regimes, driven by optically synthesized magnetic fields. The findings offer a general framework to explore spin-orbit couplings in higher-order regime.

SourceLight Publishing Center, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics And Physics, CAS·JournalLight Science & Applications·DateOct 11, 2023
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New technique measures structured light in a single shot

Researchers have developed a new measurement technique that uses the Kramers-Kronig relation to untangle complex helical light patterns from camera intensity measurements. This allows for single-shot retrieval of orbital angular momentum spectrum information, accelerating and simplifying the process compared to conventional on-axis int...

SourceSPIE--International Society for Optics and Photonics·JournalAdvanced Photonics·DateAug 8, 2023

Orbital angular momentum boosts multiplexed holography

Researchers have implemented Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM) as an independent information carrier for optical holography, leading to OAM multiplexed holography. The new design approach, MHC-OAM, uses spatial light modulators to achieve multiramp helical conical beams with different parameters serving as information encryption or decryp...

SourceSPIE--International Society for Optics and Photonics·JournalAdvanced Photonics Nexus·DateJul 5, 2023

Time-varying orbital angular momentum generated by a metasurface

Researchers from HKUST and CityU developed a metasurface to generate time-varying OAM beams with a time-dependent phase profile. This allows for a higher-order twist in the envelope wavefront structure, increasing capacity for applications such as dynamic particle trapping and information encryption.

SourceSPIE--International Society for Optics and Photonics·JournalAdvanced Photonics·DateApr 19, 2023

Researchers realize non-Hermitian exceptional points in degenerate optical cavity

Researchers constructed a non-Hermitian synthetic orbital angular momentum dimension in a degenerate optical cavity, detecting complex energy spectra and exceptional points. The study introduced a new method to investigate these features using wavefront angle–resolved band structure spectroscopy.

SourceUniversity of Science and Technology of China·JournalScience Advances·DateFeb 27, 2023

New quantum tool developed in groundbreaking experimental achievement

Scientists at the University of Waterloo have developed a device that generates twisted neutrons with well-defined orbital angular momentum, enabling researchers to study next-generation quantum materials. The discovery provides an additional quantized degree of freedom for characterizing complicated materials.

SourceUniversity of Waterloo·JournalScience Advances·DateNov 21, 2022
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.

“Twisty” photons could turbocharge next-gen quantum communication

Scientists at Stevens Institute of Technology have created a method to encode more information into a single photon, enabling faster and more powerful quantum communication tools. The twisty photon technology uses orbital angular momentum to boost the bandwidth of quantum communication systems.

SourceStevens Institute of Technology·JournalOptica·TypeExperimental study·DateSep 22, 2022

Customized fiber generates Bessel beams

Customized fibers have been engineered to generate Bessel beams, opening up new applications in imaging and communications. The fibers use a technique called two-photon lithography to fabricate special beam-shaping elements, enabling the creation of compact Bessel beam generators.

SourceKing Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST)·JournalOptica·DateAug 9, 2022

Chiral sources for metamaterial interface waveguides

A new broadband near-field chiral source enables comparison of different edge states to advance applications in integrated photonics and wireless devices. The research advances the field of chiral photonics science, promoting applications of chiral-sorting technology for microwave metadevices.

SourceSPIE--International Society for Optics and Photonics·JournalAdvanced Photonics·DateJul 19, 2022
Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro Equatorial Mount

Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro Equatorial Mount provides precise tracking capacity for deep-sky imaging rigs during long astrophotography sessions.

Engineering high-dimensional quantum states

A team of researchers demonstrates an adaptive optimization protocol that can engineer arbitrary high-dimensional quantum states, overcoming limitations due to noise and experimental imperfections. The protocol uses measured agreement between produced and target state to tune experimental parameters.

SourceSPIE--International Society for Optics and Photonics·JournalAdvanced Photonics·TypeExperimental study·DateDec 21, 2021

CityU physicists discovered special transverse sound wave

Researchers at City University of Hong Kong have discovered a new type of sound wave that vibrates transversely and carries both spin and orbital angular momentum like light. This finding provides new degrees of freedom for sound manipulations, enabling unprecedented acoustic communications and sensing capabilities.

SourceCity University of Hong Kong·JournalNature Communications·TypeExperimental study·DateDec 7, 2021

A novel approach produces a completely new kind of dynamic light structure

Researchers at USC Viterbi have discovered a new kind of dynamic light structure that can rotate around its center and revolve around another axis. This innovation has potential applications in sensing, imaging, manufacturing, and metrology, offering tailored light with novel dynamic motion.

SourceUniversity of Southern California·JournalNature Communications·DateAug 24, 2020
Garmin GPSMAP 67i with inReach

Garmin GPSMAP 67i with inReach provides rugged GNSS navigation, satellite messaging, and SOS for backcountry geology and climate field teams.

Multiplication and division of the orbital angular momentum of light

Novel optical elements enable multiplication and division of orbital angular momentum (OAM) of light, offering a promising solution to increase information capacity of optical networks. The research results have been published in Light: Science and Applications.

SourceLight Publishing Center, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics And Physics, CAS·DateDec 10, 2019

Discovered: A new property of light

Researchers have discovered a new property of light, self-torque, which can be naturally generated through high-harmonic generation. This property enables beams with changing angular momentum to modulate properties similar to frequency modulation in communications.

SourceAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)·JournalScience·DateJun 27, 2019

Researchers demonstrate quantum teleportation of patterns of light

Scientists have successfully teleported patterns of light over a virtual link using entanglement swapping, paving the way for high-bit-rate secure long-distance quantum communication. This breakthrough uses orbital angular momentum to transmit information without physical photon travel.

SourceUniversity of the Witwatersrand·JournalNature Communications·DateSep 21, 2017

Could this strategy bring high-speed communications to the deep sea?

Researchers at Berkeley Lab found a way to pack more data in single acoustic beams for underwater communications, increasing information transmission rates. They demonstrated this by encoding binary data onto an acoustic signal, effectively increasing the amount of information that can be transmitted.

SourceDOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateJun 26, 2017

Twisting neutrons

Scientists at Joint Quantum Institute successfully control orbital angular momentum of neutron waves, a fundamental property of matter waves. The achievement uses a counterintuitive property of neutrons to twist the phase of their wavefunction, enabling potential applications in neutron imaging and quantum information processing.

SourceJoint Quantum Institute·JournalNature·DateSep 23, 2015
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Light in a spin

Researchers at the University of the Witwatersrand have demonstrated the first observation of angular acceleration in laser light, which can be controlled with a single parameter. This breakthrough could lead to new applications using structured light fields.

SourceUniversity of the Witwatersrand·JournalPhysical Review A·DateApr 15, 2015