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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
Apple iPhone 17 Pro

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

UV light holds promise for energy-efficient desalination

Researchers at UCR have discovered a way to break salt-water bonds using high-frequency ultraviolet light, offering a non-photothermal alternative to traditional solar desalination systems. The breakthrough could reduce the need for energy-intensive saltwater treatment and address concentrated brine waste.

SourceUniversity of California - Riverside·JournalACS Applied Materials & Interfaces·TypeExperimental study·DateNov 3, 2025

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.

SourceHarvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences·JournalNature Photonics·TypeExperimental study·DateAug 25, 2025
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.

Tiny quantum sensor to make a big impact

Researchers developed a new 2D quantum sensing chip using hexagonal boron nitride that can simultaneously detect temperature anomalies and magnetic fields in any direction. The chip is significantly thinner than current quantum technology for magnetometry, enabling cheaper and more versatile sensors.

SourceARC Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems·JournalNature Materials·TypeExperimental study·DateAug 5, 2024

Smooth, versatile on-chip light manipulation is now possible with supersymmetry

Scientists have developed a new chip that can transfer different optical states to switch light flows using supersymmetry. The approach enables broadband continuous transformation of light spatial characteristics, opening up avenues for advanced photonic functionalities.

SourceLight Publishing Center, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics And Physics, CAS·JournaleLight·DateSep 12, 2022

Rice ‘metalens’ could disrupt vacuum UV market

Researchers at Rice University have created a 'metalens' that transforms long-wave UV-A into a focused output of vacuum UV radiation. The technology uses nanophotonics to impart a phase shift on incoming light, redirecting it and generating VUV without the need for specialized equipment.

SourceRice University·JournalScience Advances·TypeExperimental study·DateMay 5, 2022
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.

Creating invisibility with superconducting materials

Researchers have discovered a new material, α-MoO3, that can be used to create invisibility concentrators with improved performance and lower production costs. The study suggests the use of α-MoO3 to control energy flow and scatter light, enabling the creation of devices with near-perfect invisibility.

SourceDe Gruyter·JournalNanophotonics·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateDec 21, 2021

Compute at the speed of light

A research team at the University of Delaware has designed an integrated photonics platform with a one-dimensional metalens and metasurfaces, limiting information loss and enabling high signal transmission. The device demonstrates functionalities of Fourier transformation and differentiation, critical techniques in physical sciences.

SourceUniversity of Delaware·JournalNature Communications·DateSep 26, 2019

Light bending material facilitates the search for new particles

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology have designed a material that manipulates the Cherenkov cone to distinguish between common and rare particles. The material uses transformation optics to create distinct light cones for particles with high momentum, making it possible to efficiently separate and identify these particles.

SourceChalmers University of Technology·JournalPhysical Review Letters·DateOct 16, 2014

Device turns flat surface into spherical antenna

A team of researchers in China has created a new artificial surface that can bend and focus electromagnetic waves like an antenna. The breakthrough, described as the first broadband transformation optics metasurface lens, may lead to flat or ultra-low profile antennas.

SourceAmerican Institute of Physics·JournalApplied Physics Letters·DateApr 14, 2014
GoPro HERO13 Black

GoPro HERO13 Black records stabilized 5.3K video for instrument deployments, field notes, and outreach, even in harsh weather and underwater conditions.

Inverse design: New route to design a practical invisibility cloak

The article reviews alternative target-oriented invisibility strategy, referred to as an 'inverse design', which integrates the technical advantages of forward strategies. This approach uses anisotropic materials and non-superluminal propagation to provide cloaking performance with a relatively broad bandwidth.

SourceScience China Press·DateJan 6, 2014

Nanoplasmonics: Towards efficient light harvesting

Transformation optics tackles challenges in plasmonic devices by transforming complex structures into canonical ones, facilitating accurate modeling and design. This enables the development of efficient light-harvesting nanostructures with strong near-field enhancements.

SourceScience China Press·DateJan 6, 2014

Not your average heat shield

Researchers have developed a 'thermal' approach to invisibility cloaking that isolates or cloaks objects from sources of heat. The method uses transformation optics to control thermal diffusion, allowing for the shielding of areas from heat and the concentration of heat in small volumes.

SourceOptica·JournalOptics Express·DateMar 26, 2012

Karlsruhe invisibility cloak: Disappearing visibly

Researchers developed a 3D invisibility cloak that guides light waves around an object, making it invisible to the human eye. The cloaking material is structured in the nanometer range and has precisely defined thicknesses, enabling it to manipulate light waves with unprecedented precision.

SourceHelmholtz Association·JournalOptics Letters·DateMay 18, 2011

GRIN plasmonics

GRIN plasmonics combines transformation optics and plasmonics to control strongly confined light waves. The technique uses an isotropic dielectric material on a metal substrate to create efficient plasmonic devices, including Luneburg and Eaton lenses.

SourceDOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory·JournalNature Nanotechnology·DateJan 24, 2011
Celestron NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope

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

Transformation optics make a U-turn for the better

Researchers from Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley have developed a novel approach to transformation optics, allowing for the manipulation of near-field optical waves on uneven surfaces. This breakthrough enables the design of plasmonic devices such as beam splitters, shifters, and directional light emitters.

SourceDOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory·JournalNano Letters·DateJul 6, 2010

New research field promises radical advances in optical technologies

The new field of transformation optics harnesses nanotechnology and metamaterials to manipulate and control light at all scales. Researchers envision applications such as electromagnetic cloaks, ultra-powerful microscopes, and faster computers that use light instead of electronic signals.

SourcePurdue University·JournalScience·DateOct 16, 2008