"Flipping" optical wavefront eliminates distortions in multimode fibers
The use of multimode optical fibers to boost the information capacity of the Internet is severely hampered by distortions that occur during the transmission of images because of a phenomenon called modal crosstalk......»»
NASA can talk to its spacecraft using lasers now
NASA's Deep Space Optical Communications test has completed its first phase, showing that laser communications in space are possible and faster than radio......»»
NASA"s laser comms demo makes deep space record, completes first phase
The Deep Space Optical Communications tech demo has completed several key milestones, culminating in sending a signal to Mars' farthest distance from Earth......»»
Logic with light: Introducing diffraction casting, optical-based parallel computing
Increasingly complex applications such as artificial intelligence require ever more powerful and power-hungry computers to run. Optical computing is a proposed solution to increase speed and power efficiency but has yet to be realized due to constrai.....»»
Quantum research paves the way toward efficient, ultra-high-density optical memory storage
As our digital world generates massive amounts of data—more than 2 quintillion bytes of new content each day—yesterday's storage technologies are quickly reaching their limits. Optical memory devices, which use light to read and write data, offer.....»»
Developing novel chiral capsule tools for advanced optical technologies
Chirality is an essential property in biology; the molecular building blocks of some of the most important biological structures, including DNA and proteins, are chiral. When a molecule is said to be chiral, it means that it is distinguishable from i.....»»
Developing artificial muscles to give weakened people their strength back
Researchers have succeeded in making artificial muscle fibers from rubber thread, paving the way for sewing the muscles into a blouse and giving renewed strength to the wearer......»»
Headband-like device uses speckle contrast optical spectroscopy to predict stroke risk
A team of researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC and California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have developed a potential new way to measure a person's stroke risk that is cost-effective and noninvasive, akin to a cardiac stress test......»»
Observations explore the nature of transitional millisecond pulsar PSR J1023+0038
Using the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC), astronomers from Italy and Spain have carried out high-temporal-resolution optical spectroscopic observations of a transitional millisecond pulsar designated PSR J1023+0038. Results of the observational campa.....»»
Nonlinear optical metasurface achieves electrically tunable third-harmonic generation
A recent study has unveiled a transformative nonlinear optical metasurface technology. This new technology, characterized by structures smaller than the wavelength of light, paves the way for significant advancements in next-generation communication.....»»
Bacterial "flipping" allows genes to assume different forms
Imagine being one cartwheel away from changing your appearance. One flip, and your brunette locks are platinum blond. That's not too far from what happens in some prokaryotes, or single-cell organisms, such as bacteria, that undergo something called.....»»
Morphology study paves the way for spider fang-inspired cutting tools
When we think of spiders, the first thing that comes to mind is their ability to weave intricate and robust webs. But their ability to cut their own silk—the toughest natural material—and strong or tough synthetic fibers such as carbon or Kevlar,.....»»
Scientists reviewed 7,000 studies on microplastics. Their alarming conclusion puts humanity on notice
It's been 20 years since a paper in the journal Science showed the environmental accumulation of tiny plastic fragments and fibers. It named the particles "microplastics.".....»»
Light momentum turns pure silicon from an indirect to a direct bandgap semiconductor
UC Irvine-led research reveals that the optical properties of materials can be dramatically enhanced—not by changing the materials themselves, but by giving the light new properties......»»
Observers detect intraday variability of blazar 1ES 1426+42.8
Astronomers report the detection of optical intraday variability of a blazar known as 1ES 1426+42.8. The new findings, presented in a paper published in the September issue of Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, could shed more light o.....»»
Researchers improve tunability in optical differentiation
A new technique may make it easier for researchers to create real-time images of microscopic samples by considering the waves that propagate through sample surfaces as light interacts with them......»»
Could interstellar quantum communications involve Earth or solve the Fermi paradox?
Thus far, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) has used strategies based on classical science—listening for radio waves, telescopes watching for optical signals, telescopes in orbit scouring light from the atmospheres of exoplanets,.....»»
Deep design produces "butterfly" phase mask for light-sheet fluorescence microscopy
Researchers have introduced a solution to the problem of light-sheet fluorescence microscopy: novel illumination beams designed based on deep learning using a trainable phase mask. Their study eliminates the need for sophisticated optical design tool.....»»
Artemis missions could put the most powerful imaging telescope on the moon
Ground-based interferometry on Earth has proven to be a successful method for conducting science by combining light from several telescopes into acting like a single large telescope. But how can an ultraviolet (UV)/optical interferometer telescope on.....»»
Multifunctional phosphor developed for white LED lighting and optical thermometry
In the realm of lighting and temperature measurement, advancements in material science are paving the way for significant improvements in technology and safety. Traditional methods, which combine yellow phosphors with blue chips in LEDs, have limitat.....»»
Space travel: Protection from cosmic radiation with boron nitride nanotube fibers
With the success of the Nuri launch last year and the recent launch of the newly established Korea Aerospace Administration, interest in space has increased, and both the public and private sectors are actively investing in space-related industries s.....»»