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Compact fiber microcomb enables low-noise terahertz synthesis and high-speed wireless communication

Researchers have developed a compact Kerr microcomb that generates low-noise terahertz frequency combs and supports high-speed wireless communication. The platform combines compact packaging, low-noise terahertz synthesis, and high-order wireless modulation, enabling a scalable approach for future terahertz systems.

SourceChinese Society for Optical Engineering·TypeExperimental study·DateSep 30, 2026

Enantioresolution turns bright but racemic gold-silver clusters into circularly polarized emitters

Researchers successfully created circularly polarized emitters from racemic gold-silver clusters by separating them into mirror-image forms using chiral oxygen-donor ligands. The phosphate-protected enantiomer pair exhibited high photoluminescence quantum yields and luminescence dissymmetry factors.

SourceNational Institutes of Natural Sciences·JournalAdvanced Optical Materials·TypeExperimental study·DateSep 28, 2026

By shaping and shrinking light, engineers alter a material's magnetic properties

Researchers at the University of California San Diego have developed a new approach to switch magnetic states using light, which could lead to faster and more efficient data storage. By shaping and shrinking light, they were able to overcome limitations of previous methods and achieve optical switching in thicker magnetic materials.

SourceUniversity of California - San Diego·JournalNature Communications·DateSep 25, 2026

IEEE study explores new photonics breakthrough: topology imprinting in nonlinear metasurfaces

A recent study explores topology imprinting in nonlinear metasurfaces, enabling precise control of light at the nanoscale. This approach can generate complex structured light fields while preserving their unique structures across different wavelengths, paving the way for compact next-generation photonic technologies.

SourceInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers·JournalIEEE Photonics Journal·TypeLiterature review·DateSep 15, 2026

Room temperature quantum processor based on on-chip arrays of single-ion qudits enabled by materials science and engineering

This technology features arrays of single-erbium ion qubits embedded in silicon-based hollow nanopillars, enabling high-performance, room-temperature quantum sensing and communication. It demonstrates record-long optical coherence times in the telecom C-band, exceeding 500 μs at ambient conditions.

Comprehensive review of distributed acoustic sensing

Distributed Acoustic Sensing enables standard optical fiber cables to detect vibrations, acoustic waves, and dynamic strain over long distances. The review highlights the technology's rapid growth and increasing importance, with applications in geophysics, civil engineering, transportation, and environmental monitoring.

SourceEditorial Office of Opto-Electronic Journals Group·JournalOpto-Electronic Advances·TypeLiterature review·DateSep 9, 2026

SUTD and A*STAR IME researchers enable wafer-scale broadband light generation by replacing hydrogen with a heavier isotope

A team of researchers has developed a low-loss silicon nitride waveguide that generates broadband light on a chip by replacing hydrogen with deuterium. The waveguide demonstrates a chip-scale waveguide that stretches infrared laser pulses into a spectrum running from visible red to deep into the infrared.

'Thinner lenses, brighter colors': Metalens research clears 2 hurdles for AR·VR glasses

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 ...

SourcePohang University of Science & Technology (POSTECH)·JournalNature Communications·DateAug 19, 2026

A flash of light creates high-performance materials without heating the surface beneath

Researchers developed a technique to control internal structure of semiconductor materials using ultra-fast flashes of light, producing materials with up to 50 times more electrical current from light. The method works on transparent conducting glass, preserving useful properties that conventional heating methods cannot easily achieve.

SourceThe Hebrew University of Jerusalem·JournalSmall Structures·TypeExperimental study·DateAug 17, 2026

Designing the direction of light through ‘hidden order’ in disorder: SNU–University of Seoul team proposes new optical theory

A team proposes a new theoretical framework called Non-Hermitian Statistical Crystallography to jointly control light absorption and amplification. They extend research on controlling light scattering beyond conventional crystal structures to disordered systems, enabling 'stealthy hyperuniformity' and precision directional control.

SourceSeoul National University College of Engineering·JournalAdvanced Science·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateAug 12, 2026

Breaking the bandwidth tradeoff: Topological coupler enables broadband coupled resonator optical waveguide

Researchers have introduced topological couplers into coupled resonator optical waveguides, decoupling free spectral range and finesse to alleviate the bandwidth tradeoff. This innovation leads to a significant improvement in bandwidth, enabling applications in wavelength division multiplexing and nonlinear optical processing.

SourceChinese Society for Optical Engineering·JournalPhotoniX·TypeExperimental study·DateAug 7, 2026

New Record: DTU researchers double the range of low-noise "white lasers" in a single fibre

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...

High-density integrated photonic convolution: a scalable spatiotemporal interleaving network

Researchers have developed a new photonic architecture that enables scalable spatiotemporal interleaving networks for high-density integrated photonic convolution. The SPIN (Spatiotemporal Photonic Interleaving Network) framework reduces waveguide complexity and increases programmability in wavelength-domain interleaving, enabling comp...

SourceEditorial Office of Opto-Electronic Journals Group·JournalOpto-Electronic Science·TypeExperimental study·DateAug 4, 2026

Solving complex optimization problems using optics

A new mathematical approach using optics helps computers solve larger, more complex optimization problems by reducing computational demands. The framework can be applied to various real-world challenges, including facility placement and data clustering, with potential benefits for a carbon-neutral future.

SourceThe University of Osaka·JournalCommunications Physics·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateJul 29, 2026

Tiny circuit turns a hidden property of electrons into a working info channel

Researchers have developed a tiny circuit that can encode and decode digital information using a hidden property of electrons called valleys. The device generates, routes, and reads valley information entirely on chip at room temperature, demonstrating the potential for valley multiplexing to increase photonic chip capacity.

Algorithm-designed photonic circuits beyond human intuition

A team of researchers at Harvard and Max Planck Institute have developed three new functional components for photonic microchips using an inverse design algorithm. The compact designs are about 500 times smaller than conventional designs and offer a path toward higher-performance integrated light technologies.

SourceHarvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences·JournalNature Communications·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateJul 24, 2026

SNU–University of Seoul joint research team develops programmable photonic integrated circuit that slows light on demand

A joint research team from SNU and University of Seoul developed a programmable photonic integrated circuit that can slow light on demand. This innovation enables the storage, delay, and control of light within a single photonic chip, overcoming limitations in optical computing technologies.

SourceSeoul National University College of Engineering·JournalAdvanced Science·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateJul 17, 2026

UCLA engineers shrink powerful terahertz systems onto a single semiconductor chip

Researchers at UCLA have demonstrated a way to integrate terahertz functions onto a single chip using quantum well structures, paving the way for compact and scalable systems. This breakthrough could enable practical and widespread use of terahertz technology in applications such as ultrafast wireless communication, security screening,...

SourceUniversity of California - Los Angeles·TypeExperimental study·DateJul 16, 2026

Beyond heat: New infrared filter for thermal cameras could detect pollution and disease

Researchers have developed a tiny, electrically tunable infrared filter that can distinguish between different materials and gases based on their spectral 'fingerprints'. This technology has the potential to enable handheld pollution detectors, compact multispectral cameras, and next-generation chemical sensing devices.

SourceARC Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems·JournalAdvanced Materials Technologies·TypeExperimental study·DateJul 7, 2026

Making heat behave like data

Scientists developed a device that controls heat radiation direction and switches this effect on and off, enabling 'heat programming' like microchip data. The new material exhibits different responses depending on light direction, improving efficiency compared to previous devices.

SourceOsaka Metropolitan University·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateJul 7, 2026

First experimental observation of three-dimensional photonic quantum Hall effect of Fermi arcs

Scientists at SUSTech and collaborators report first experimental observation of one-sided chiral hinge states in a 3D magnetic Weyl photonic crystal, verifying the 3D QHE of Fermi arcs. The discovery reveals a new physical mechanism for robust light transport in 3D space with potential applications in topological photonic devices.

SourceScience China Press·JournalNational Science Review·TypeExperimental study·DateJul 5, 2026

192-dimensional photonic chip unlocks ultra-parallel optical computing with reconfigurable large kernels

The new photonic architecture harnesses three fundamental degrees of freedom: wavelength, mode, and polarization, achieving 192 parallel computing channels. The chip supports large, reconfigurable convolution kernels up to 13x13, capturing global structural contours while preserving fine details.

SourceScience China Press·JournalNational Science Review·TypeExperimental study·DateJun 29, 2026

Rayleigh-driven ethanol cluster inference based on non-contact optical sensing and deep learning

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.

SourceEditorial Office of Opto-Electronic Journals Group·JournalOpto-Electronic Advances·TypeExperimental study·DateJun 23, 2026

Lithium-doped carbon nanorings show promise for next-generation optical devices

Researchers discovered that lithium doping of a 12-benzene-ring molecule creates a material with strong optical responses due to synergistic effects between aromaticity and charge transfer. This finding establishes fundamental design principles for high-performance carbon-based photonic devices.

SourceNational Institutes of Natural Sciences·JournalChemical Physics·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateJun 22, 2026

Shaping luminescence in 3D: Advanced fabrication of YAG:Ce³⁺ microstructures

Scientists create microscopic 3D light-emitting ceramic structures using chemical synthesis and advanced laser-based 3D printing, enabling the fabrication of single-phase crystalline YAG:Ce³⁺ with high precision. This technology has the potential to transform the design and manufacturing of optical devices, leading to more energy-effic...

SourceEditorial Office of Opto-Electronic Journals Group·JournalOpto-Electronic Advances·TypeExperimental study·DateJun 18, 2026

“Flawless on the outside, flipped within”: Detecting hidden defects in 2D dielectrics with light

Researchers developed an interferometric second-harmonic generation imaging approach to identify antiparallel domains and detect hidden structural defects in hBN thin films. The study finds that SHG intensity is closely associated with differences in crystal orientation and destructive interference between domains.