Ultrafast plasmonics for all-optical switching and pulsed lasers
Plasmonics is playing a crucial role in advancing nanophotonics, as plasmonic structures exhibit a wide range of physical characteristics that are benefited by localized and intensified light-matter interactions. These properties are exploited in num.....»»
A thousand times smaller than a grain of sand—glass sensors 3D-printed on optical fiber
In a first for communications, researchers in Sweden 3D printed silica glass micro-optics on the tips of optic fibers—surfaces as small as the cross section of a human hair. The advance could enable faster internet and improved connectivity, as wel.....»»
How pooling solutions can be strengthened in road transport
Less than a hundred kilos of human weight, more than two metric tons of steel: individual road transport is a huge climate killer, and switching to electric vehicles is only part of the solution because manufacturing the vehicles also causes emission.....»»
Researchers elucidate ultrafast laser-induced solid-to-overdense-plasma transitions
The interaction of solids with high-intensity ultra-short laser pulses has enabled major technological breakthroughs over the past half-century. On the one hand, laser ablation of solids offers micromachining and miniaturization of elements in medica.....»»
New optical tweezers can trap large and irregularly shaped particles
Researchers have developed new optical tweezers that can stably trap particles that are large—about 0.1 mm—and irregularly shaped. While conventional optical tweezers use highly focused laser beams to trap micro- or nano-scale rod shaped or spher.....»»
Scientists create an "optical conveyor belt" for quasiparticles
Using interference between two lasers, a research group led by scientists from RIKEN and NTT Research have created an "optical conveyor belt" that can move polaritons—a type of light-matter hybrid particle—in semiconductor-based microcavities. Th.....»»
Exploring the ultrasmall and ultrafast through advances in attosecond science
A team of scientists at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory are developing new methods to probe the universe's minute details at extraordinary speeds......»»
Optical power evolution in fiber-optic networks: New framework for better modeling and control
With the emergence of internet services such as AI-generated content and virtual reality, the demand for global capacity has surged, significantly intensifying pressures on fiber-optic communication systems. To address this surge and reduce operation.....»»
Team observes two distinct holographic patterns with ultrafast imaging
A team of scientists led by Professor Dong Eon Kim at the Pohang University of Science and Technology and Professor X. Lai at the Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology has achieved a breakthrough in ultrafast imaging by.....»»
Parity-time symmetry: Unlocking faster and stronger optical signal processing
In the era of big data, signal processing faces significant challenges in terms of capacity and energy consumption due to the torrent of data to process. With over 90% of data transmitted through light, optical signal processing may offer unprecedent.....»»
Researchers demonstrate low-loss and polarization-independent integrated optical colorless ROADM
The implementation of integrated optical switches shows promise in the size reduction of ROADMs for greater flexibility and compactness, ultimately leading to robust single-chip solutions. Despite decades of research on switches with various structur.....»»
Researchers harness blurred light to 3D-print high-quality optical components
Canadian researchers have developed a new 3D printing method called blurred tomography that can rapidly produce microlenses with commercial-level optical quality. The new method may make it easier and faster to design and fabricate a variety of optic.....»»
Scientists create black arsenic visible infrared photodetectors
In recent years, the exceptional structure and fascinating electrical and optical properties of two-dimensional (2D) layered crystals have attracted widespread attention. Examples of such crystals include graphene, black phosphorus (BP), and transiti.....»»
Researchers "unzip" 2D materials with lasers
In a new paper published on May 1 in the journal Science Advances, researchers at Columbia Engineering used commercially available tabletop lasers to create tiny, atomically sharp nanostructures, or nanopatterns, in samples of a layered 2D material c.....»»
Materials scientists reveal pathway for designing optical materials with specialized properties
While we usually think of disorder as a bad thing, a team of materials science researchers led by Rohan Mishra, from Washington University in St. Louis, and Jayakanth Ravichandran, from the University of Southern California, have revealed that—when.....»»
Study of new method used to preserve privacy with US census data suggests accuracy has suffered
A small team of political scientists, statisticians and data scientists from Harvard University, New York University, and Yale University, has found that by switching to a new method to better protect privacy, the U.S. Census Department has introduce.....»»
Two facilities team up for structural biology advances with X-ray free-electron lasers and exascale computing
Plans to unite the capabilities of two cutting-edge technological facilities promise to usher in a new era of dynamic structural biology. Through DOE's Integrated Research Infrastructure, or IRI, initiative, the facilities will complement each other'.....»»
Tweaking isotopes sheds light on promising approach to engineer semiconductors
Research led by scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has demonstrated that small changes in the isotopic content of thin semiconductor materials can influence their optical and electronic properties, possibly opening.....»»
Physicists create an optical tweezer array of individual polyatomic molecules for the first time
A team of physicists at Harvard University has succeeded in trapping individual polyatomic molecules in optical tweezer arrays for the first time. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the group describes how they achieved their feat and th.....»»
Good vibrations: Low-energy lasers induce atomic excitation in semiconductor materials
Semiconductors are a cornerstone of next-generation technology, so a new method to excite atoms in semiconductor materials is likely to excite a broad range of researchers and industries as well......»»
Researcher creates optical magnetometer prototype that detects errors in MRI scans
Hvidovre Hospital has the world's first prototype of a sensor capable of detecting errors in MRI scans using laser light and gas. The new sensor, developed by a young researcher at the University of Copenhagen and Hvidovre Hospital, can thereby do wh.....»»