Articles tagged with Visible Light
Researchers have created a new class of molecular motors that rotate unidirectionally at speeds of up to 1 kHz when exposed to sunlight at room temperature. This breakthrough enables the development of more versatile and precise nanomachines with unprecedented control over mechanical motion.
Scientists at Berkeley Lab have devised an ultra-thin invisibility 'skin' cloak that can conform to the shape of an object and conceal it from detection with visible light. The cloak, made of gold nanoantennas, reroutes reflected light waves to render the object invisible to optical detection.
Researchers at Disney Research have developed a networking technology that enables LED lights to communicate with each other and the Internet using visible light signals. The technology has the potential to create smart environments and enable IoT applications, such as remote monitoring of objects.
A new technique mimics photosynthesis by harnessing the power of catalysts, light, and sacrificial molecules to boost hydrogen production efficiency. By solving the bottleneck of converting visible light into energy, researchers create a sustainable method for producing hydrogen fuels.
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have developed smart window materials that can control light and energy efficiency, allowing for precise indoor climate control. The new materials enable 90% NIR and 80% visible light blocking, reducing energy costs for cooling buildings and homes.
Researchers have developed a hybrid photocatalyst using titanium dioxide nanoparticles, silver, and reduced graphene oxide that can break down BPA under visible light. This new material has significantly improved photocatalytic activity compared to traditional TiO2 nanoparticles.
Researchers at Columbia University have successfully demonstrated an on-chip visible light source using graphene, a single layer of carbon atoms. The graphene-based light emitter can be integrated into chips and is expected to revolutionize the development of photonic circuits and displays.
Extra-Tropical Storm Dolphin is moving northeast towards the Sea of Okhotsk, interacting with westerlies that pushed clouds and showers east of its center. The storm has weakened, but still retains hurricane-force winds and is expected to turn northwards, passing south of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula.
Dartmouth researchers developed a novel screen-camera communication system called HiLight, enabling seamless, real-time data transfer between screens and cameras without user intervention. The system supports various applications, including augmented reality and security features.
A novel superconducting transistor can be switched reversibly between ON and OFF by light-irradiation, opening a way to new high-speed devices. The device uses a photo-active electric double layer and can be controlled by both gate-voltage and light-irradiation.
Researchers at Dartmouth College have created a 'green' process that reduces molecular switching waste by harnessing visible light. The new method efficiently modulates molecular switches without generating waste, opening up potential for industrial applications in fields like anti-cancer drug delivery and LCD displays.
Researchers are experimenting with smart spaces that track users' gestures and separate shadows from light, enabling a continuous flow of data wirelessly. The integrated visible light communication project aims to bridge the gap in VLC's practical systems and networking problems.
Researchers at NIST have created a silver-glass metamaterial that enables one-way transmission of visible light, with around 30 times more light passing through in the forward direction than in reverse. The device has potential applications in optical information processing and biosensing devices.
Berkeley Lab researchers have developed a technique to modify graphene boron nitride heterostructures using visible light, preserving high electron mobility. This method enables p–n junctions and flexible doping profiles without sacrificing material quality.
Researchers developed a new technology that can generate visible light deep within the body, activating drugs and destroying tumors. This approach could greatly expand photodynamic therapy's effectiveness, offering fewer side effects and precise targeting of cancer cells.
Research by Dr Klaas Wiersema's team has discovered that Gamma-Ray Bursts behave differently than previously thought, challenging existing theoretical predictions. The study used observations of a GRB to rule out most existing theories and instead found evidence for circular polarisation in visible light.
Researchers have designed a new material that can dynamically modify sunlight as it passes through a window, maximizing both energy savings and occupant comfort. The coating provides selective control over visible light and heat-producing near-infrared (NIR) light.
The NASA-NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite captured an image of the Powerhouse Fire in California at night. The high-sensitivity instrument detected the fire using illumination from natural and man-made sources, revealing its large impact on city lights and surrounding landscape.
NASA's Aqua satellite captured clear images of Cyclone Claudia's eye, showing a 10 nautical mile wide storm surrounded by powerful thunderstorms. The storm's eye was characterized by high cloud top temperatures and intense rainfall.
A team led by Prof. Gabby Sarusi has received a $6.5 million grant to develop thin film nano coating for night vision glasses, aiming to improve existing systems' bulkiness, weight, and expense. The project involves creating nano-colloid materials that convert infrared light to visible light using OLEDs.
UCLA researchers have created a new type of transparent solar cell that can generate electricity while still allowing people to see outside. The cells, made from a photoactive plastic, absorb mainly infrared light and have nearly 70% transparency to the human eye.
A research team at CU-Boulder has generated laser-like beams of X-rays from a tabletop device, enabling super-high-resolution imaging and providing insights into the nanoworld. The breakthrough device uses atoms in a gas to efficiently combine low-energy photons, generating high-energy X-ray photons.
Scientists have developed a new type of plastic that can repair scratches and cuts, changing color to warn of damage and healing itself when exposed to light. This self-healing plastic has potential applications in products such as cell phones, laptops, and cars, offering advantages over traditional plastics
Researchers at Michigan Technological University have made a major step toward creating superlenses that can see objects as small as 100 nanometers across using metamaterials and plasmons. This could enable ultra-high-resolution microscopes and cell phone cameras, making high-powered microscopy accessible to the public.
Researchers developed a nanowire-based optical probe for single-cell endoscopy, overcoming the diffraction barrier in visible light microscopy. The endoscope can deliver genes, proteins, or therapeutic drugs into cells without damaging them.
Researchers have created a simple nanoantenna that directs red and blue colours in opposite directions, defying wavelength size limitations. This discovery can lead to the development of optical nanosensors for detecting very low concentrations of gases or biomolecules.
Researchers observed that spiders increase decorating activity in response to severe web damage but not light damage, suggesting the purpose of silk decorations is to make webs more visible to predators. This study helps unravel the mystery of why orb-weaving spiders decorate their webs.
University of Maryland researchers introduce a technique called RAPID lithography that uses visible light to create tiny integrated circuits comparable to shorter wavelength radiation. This breakthrough could lead to substantial savings in cost and ease of production for companies like Intel.
A team of scientists at Imperial College London has developed a groundbreaking technology that can hide entire events from the passage of time. By manipulating light waves in space-time, they create a 'temporal void' allowing for invisible moments of transport or manipulation.
Researchers have developed Meta-flex, a flexible smart material that can cloak objects from visible light. The breakthrough resolves two major challenges in creating such materials.
A new hyperspectral imaging technique allows for rapid detection of Campylobacter in food samples, reducing the time needed for isolation and identification from days to just 24 hours.
Researchers successfully controlled x-ray pulses using laser light, enabling new possibilities for quantum information storage and processing. This breakthrough has the potential to shape x-ray pulses on a femtosecond time scale.
Researchers develop method to efficiently turn carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide using visible light, a process similar to what organisms naturally do. The technique has potential applications in producing electricity or hydrogen and could be scaled up with mass production of the catalyst.
Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a new visible light photocatalyst that can kill bacteria and viruses, even after the light is turned off. The catalyst's unique catalytic memory effect allows it to continue killing pathogens for up to 24 hours.
Researchers at Purdue University have successfully created a nanolaser called spaser, which emits visible light and could revolutionize future technologies based on nanophotonic circuitry. The device overcomes the limitation of current lasers being too large to integrate into electronic chips.
Most dark gamma-ray bursts are found in normal galaxies that can be detected by large ground-based optical telescopes, contradicting previous theories. The study suggests that dark bursts may represent stars that never drifted far from the dusty clouds that formed them.
Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have created a device that can detect the entire visible spectrum of light using carbon nanotubes. The device uses chromophores and single-walled carbon nanotubes to trigger nerve impulses, enabling detection of colors of the rainbow.
Researchers from PNNL found that nitrogen-doped anatase titanium dioxide can split water using visible light, while rutile cannot. This discovery could lead to more efficient hydrogen fuel production and environmental cleanup methods.
An international team of astrophysicists used simultaneous observations from optical, X-ray, and gamma-ray telescopes to uncover complex changes in PKS 2155-304's radiation. The findings challenge current theories on how radiation is generated in blazars.
A new highly sensitive infrared spectrometer has been developed using nonlinear optics, offering 100 times higher sensitivity than current commercial devices. The device eliminates the need for cryogenic cooling, making it practical for various industrial applications.
Astronomers have found that magnetic fields are essential for black holes to swallow matter. The variations in visible light and X-rays were found to follow a repeated pattern, indicating that strong magnetic fields store energy near the black hole.
Researchers at the University of Bath discovered how photonic crystal fibre creates a broad spectrum of light, allowing for more efficient telecommunications and precise optical clocks. By understanding this mechanism, scientists can now manipulate the supercontinuum with greater precision.
An international team of astronomers has discovered a new type of active galaxy that was previously overlooked due to its heavy shrouding in gas and dust. The newly found galaxies are thought to comprise around 20% of the X-ray background, providing insight into supermassive black holes and their role in controlling galaxy formation.
Engineers at Purdue University developed a theoretical design for an optical cloaking device that guides light around objects, making them invisible. The device works only for specific wavelengths and has limitations, but the researchers believe it's possible to create a cloak for all colors of visible light.
The VISTA camera, Europe's largest infrared camera, will survey large areas of the southern sky at near-infrared wavelengths, studying cool objects, dust, and high-redshift galaxies. The camera's 67 million pixels will enable it to map the infrared sky faster than any previous telescope.
Physicists at Boston College have successfully transmitted visible light through a cable hundreds of times smaller than a human hair, defying a key principle in optics. This breakthrough could lead to the development of high-efficiency solar cells and microscopic light-based switching devices.
For the first time, astronomers have looked inside quasars and seen evidence of black holes. They measured the size of the accretion disk around a smaller area emitting X-rays, providing further confirmation that quasars are made up of super-massive black holes and heated disks.
A new compound in the diarylethene family is synthesized and produces a microcrystalline film that becomes super-water-repellent when exposed to UV light, and returns to its original state with visible light. The material's surface undergoes changes in molecular structure, leading to reversible formation of microfibrils.
Scientists have developed a new fluorescent tag called Dendra that allows for precise labeling and tracking of proteins in living cells. This innovation enables researchers to study protein and organelle dynamics, cell migration, inflammation, and other biological processes with unprecedented accuracy.
Virginia Tech researchers have designed supramolecular complexes that can generate pharmaceutical compounds to cleave DNA in tumor cells. These complexes use visible light-induced reactions, which can penetrate tissue and deliver targeted therapy.
Researchers use microspectrometry to map the unique color patterns of individual gems, revealing differences even among same-type stones. This technique could provide valuable information for gemstone authentication and potential recovery of stolen stones.
Virginia Tech researchers have developed light-activated therapy agents that are oxygen independent, overcoming a limitation in photodynamic therapy. The new agents are activated by visible light and have been studied in cell cultures, showing promising results.
Astronomers discovered a galaxy without a visible central bulge but with a massive black hole, challenging previous assumptions about the formation of supermassive black holes. The galaxy's black hole has a mass approximately 10,000 to 100,000 times that of the sun.
Researchers at Northwestern University have created a novel device that detects ultraviolet light 10 times more efficiently than the Hubble Space Telescope. The innovative detector uses gallium nitride material to block visible and infrared light, allowing astronomers to study important objects in the universe for the first time.
Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology have demonstrated binary optical storage using nanoclusters of 2-8 silver atoms. The clusters can fluoresce when exposed to blue light, allowing for nondestructive reading with green light. This technique has the potential for high-density storage and parallel reading.
The tiny Sandia laser can generate white light, replacing gas-filled fluorescent tubes in offices and homes, with a lifespan of five to ten times longer. The technology also aids in detecting bioweapons and E. coli bacteria, reducing carbon emissions by approximately 350 million tons per year.
Tiny gold nanoclusters exhibit distinctly chiral properties, dramatically affecting polarized light absorption. The clusters' unique structure and conduction electron circulation produce a helical effect comparable to naturally-helical structures.
Researchers at NASA and the University of Alaska have discovered mysterious bursts of colored light in thunderstorms, known as sprites. These brief, fleeting phenomena contain a great deal of energy, which may be sufficient to drive novel chemical reactions, potentially impacting the Earth's protective ozone layer.
A new Hubble image captures the entire stellar life cycle in a single photograph, showcasing various stages of star formation and evolution. The galaxy NGC 3603 is home to multiple starburst clusters, young massive stars, and a blue supergiant nearing its supernova fate.
UT Southwestern researchers have created a novel protein cross-linking method that utilizes brief exposure to visible light to initiate bonding between proteins. This technique is about 1,000 times more efficient than existing chemical methods and allows for precise control over the reaction timing.