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Solitons in a crystal

EPFL scientists have discovered optical dissipative solitons in small millimeter-size optical resonators, producing extremely short and high-rate light pulses. This breakthrough has significant implications for applications such as astronomy, chemists' analysis, and telecommunication networks.

SourceEcole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne·JournalNature Photonics·DateDec 22, 2013

The analogue of a tsunami for telecommunication

Scientists from Moscow State University have made significant breakthroughs in generating stable femtosecond pulses and microwave signals using microresonators. These discoveries hold promise for compact and affordable optical pulse generators, critical for applications such as broadband spectroscopy, telecommunications, and astronomy.

SourceLomonosov Moscow State University·JournalNature Photonics·DateDec 22, 2013

Solitary waves induce waveguide that can split light beams

A Chinese team has developed a theoretical model for multiple solitary optical waves, also known as dark photovoltaic spatial solitons, which induce waveguides and can reconfigure optical beams by splitting them. The findings confirm previous research on the behavior of these solitons in photorefractive crystals.

SourceSpringer·JournalThe European Physical Journal D·DateMar 15, 2012

2 seemingly unrelated phenomena share surprising link

Researchers at University of Chicago and Tel Aviv University found a connection between coupled pendulums and compressed elastic films, which concentrate energy into discrete packets called solitons. Solitons are also found in other realms, such as telecommunications, where they travel through optical fibers.

SourceUniversity of Chicago·JournalPhysical Review Letters·DateOct 10, 2011

Solitons seen in a solid

Researchers at the University of California - Davis have detected lattice solitons in heated uranium crystals using X-ray and neutron scattering experiments. The isolated vibrations play an important role in uranium metal, shedding new light on a previously unknown property of solid materials.

SourceUniversity of California - Davis·JournalPhysical Review Letters·DateApr 7, 2006

A new 'atom wave' phenomenon

Researchers at Rice University have successfully created atomic solitons, a type of 'atom wave' that can propagate without dispersing, in a narrow beam of light. This breakthrough has potential applications in ultra-high speed optical communication networks and extremely precise measurements using atom lasers.

New focus award finalists announced

The New Focus Student Awards recognize groundbreaking research by six finalists, including Seth Aubin's work on francium trapping, E. Staffan Björlin's vertical-cavity semiconductor optical amplifiers, and Michael J. Escuti's switchable mesoscale lattices in liquid crystal polymer dispersions.

SourceOptica·DateApr 25, 2002