A fiber-tapering technique that combines plasmonic heaters and deformed optical fibers
Optical micro and nanofibers (MNFs) have extensive applications in nonlinearity generation, near-field optics, quantum optics, and miniaturized sensing. Although MNFs have fostered the development of various disciplines, there have been few studies o.....»»
Found: 280 Android apps that use OCR to steal cryptocurrency credentials
Optical Character Recognition converts passwords shown in images to machine-readable text. Enlarge (credit: Getty Images) Researchers have discovered more than 280 malicious apps for Android that use optical character re.....»»
Plasmonic modulators could enable high-capacity space communication
Researchers have achieved data rates as high as 424Gbit/s across a 53-km turbulent free-space optical link using plasmonic modulators—devices that use special light waves called surface plasmon polaritons to control and change optical signals. The.....»»
Verizon to buy Frontier for $9.6 billion, says it will expand fiber network
Verizon once sold part of its network to Frontier; now it's buying the company. Enlarge / A Verizon FiOS truck in Manhattan on September 15, 2017. (credit: Getty Images | Smith Collection | Gado) Verizon today announce.....»»
A window into the body: New technique makes skin invisible
Researchers have developed a new way to see organs within a body by rendering overlying tissues transparent to visible light. The counterintuitive process—a topical application of food-safe dye—was reversible in tests with animal subjects, and ma.....»»
Researcher helps develop new technique to explore oceanic microbes
When Southern Methodist University (SMU) researcher Alexander Chase was a young boy, the sheer diversity of plants in Earth's tropical rainforests fascinated him. He found himself wondering what new species were out there, waiting to be unearthed. Th.....»»
Beyond point-to-point triangulation: Dynamic 3D imaging under global illumination
As the "eyes of industry," 3D measurement technology provides comprehensive, accurate, and reliable 3D information for high-end precision manufacturing. Optical measurement methods, such as structured light projection, have been widely adopted in var.....»»
Scientists demonstrate octave-spanning soliton frequency combs on thin-film lithium niobate
The invention of optical frequency combs revolutionized frequency metrology and time-keeping. Miniaturization of such combs onto photonic chips, primarily leveraging the microresonator Kerr soliton frequency comb, expands on these functionalities by.....»»
Scientists uncover hidden source of snow melt: Dark brown carbon
Wildfires leave potent climate heaters behind in their wake, particles that enhance the absorption of sunlight and warm the atmosphere. Dropped on snow like a wool poncho, these aerosols darken and decrease the surface reflectance of snowy places......»»
Study: Giant ultrafast dichroism and birefringence with active nonlocal metasurfaces
The fine and efficient control of the properties of light at ultrafast speed down to the picosecond timescale is a challenging task, crucial for many scientific applications and technologies. For instance, in free-space optical links, manipulating on.....»»
The world"s fastest single-shot 2D imaging technique films ultrafast dynamics in flames
Candle flames and airplane engines produce tiny soot particles from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as their precursors, both of which are harmful to humans and the environment. These carbon-based particles are also common in space, making up.....»»
Security Bite: Apple addresses privacy concerns around Notification Center database in macOS Sequoia (Update)
9to5Mac Security Bite is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Making Apple devices work-ready and enterprise-safe is all we do. Our unique integrated approach to management and security combines state-of-the-art App.....»»
High-refractive-index-modulation nanocomposites for augmented reality displays
Holographic optical elements (HOEs) are essential in augmented reality (AR) displays, providing benefits such as design flexibility and improved optical efficiency. However, current materials' limited refractive index modulation hampers performance,.....»»
3D bioprinting materials offer possibility for better bone and soft tissue repair
3D bioprinting is an advanced tissue engineering technique that builds complex tissues using bioactive substances like living cells and scaffolds. It provides personalized tissue repair solutions, reducing immune rejection by using patient-specific c.....»»
Study combines data and molecular simulations to accelerate drug discovery
Researchers from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and Cincinnati Children's Hospital have found a new method to increase both speed and success rates in drug discovery......»»
Spin-controlled generation of a complete polarization set with randomly interleaved plasmonic metasurfaces
Optical metasurfaces are finely crafted two-dimensional artificial nanostructures composed of meticulously designed arrays of ultrathin artificial atoms. These surfaces possess capabilities beyond natural materials, enabling multifunctional control o.....»»
Advances in optical micronanofiber-enabled tactile sensors and soft actuators
A perfect combination of fiber optics and micro/nanotechnology, optical micro/nanofiber (MNF) is a new type of micro/nano-waveguide structure developed in recent years......»»
Scientists make plea for greater focus on natural textile fibers
A King's researcher has urged environmental scholars to give greater focus to the environmental sustainability issues associated with natural textile fibers used in fashion, highlighting key areas to address......»»
Study: Plasmonic copper nanowires boost nitrate reduction efficiency
The electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR) has attracted the attention of researchers for its significant value in ammonia synthesis and effluent treatment. Plasmon-assisted electrocatalysis provides a powerful strategy for efficient con.....»»
New Sisyphus cooling technique could enhance precision of atomic clocks
Researchers in the Neutral Atom Optical Clocks Group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), University of Colorado and Pennsylvania State University recently devised a new sub-recoil Sisyphus cooling technique that could help t.....»»
Researchers model physics of the pumping technique used to achieve air on a skateboard half-pipe
A team of engineers and mathematicians from ETH Zürich, working with colleagues from The Institute of Statistical Mathematics, and ATR Institute International, both in Japan, has successfully modeled the physics involved when humans pump on skateboa.....»»