An optical coating like no other
For more than a century, optical coatings have been used to better reflect certain wavelengths of light from lenses and other devices or, conversely, to better transmit certain wavelengths through them. For example, the coatings on tinted eyeglasses.....»»
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.....»»
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.....»»
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.....»»
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.....»»
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.....»»
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.....»»