The googly eyes of the mantis shrimp inspire new optical sensors
Small enough to fit on a smartphone, capable of hyperspectral and polarimetric imaging. Enlarge / Scientists have developed a new type of light sensor inspired by the eyes of the mantis shrimp. (credit: Brent Durand/Getty Images) Smartphone ca.....»»
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.....»»
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,.....»»
Mass cytometry barcoding strategy offers a new perspective of non-specific binding
Non-specific binding (NSB), the most annoying thing to scientists in the biosensing field, is one of the main factors limiting the performance of diagnostic sensors......»»
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......»»
iPhone 17 Pro Max to have more RAM and better cooling system than iPhone 17 Pro and other models
iPhone 16 season is just around the corner, but supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo already has his eyes on the iPhone 17 cycle. The researcher’s latest details how the iPhone 17 Pro Max next fall will outperform the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup, inc.....»»
Vinegar vapor method could make UV sensors 128,000 times more responsive
Researchers at Macquarie University have developed a new way to produce ultraviolet (UV) light sensors, which could lead to more efficient and flexible wearable devices......»»
New moves for self defense—how plants can inspire future soft robotic design
For plants, cleaning the air, providing food and medicines, and preserving our ecosystem is just another day's work. In the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, however, plants are being studied in new ways to inspire f.....»»
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.....»»
People in Brazil"s Amazon are choking on smoke and feeling the heat from rainforest wildfires
Smoke from wildfires in Brazil's Amazon rainforest Wednesday was causing people in the region to cough, burning their throats and reddening their eyes......»»
Sound drives "quantum jumps" between electron orbits
Cornell University researchers have demonstrated that acoustic sound waves can be used to control the motion of an electron as it orbits a lattice defect in a diamond, a technique that can potentially improve the sensitivity of quantum sensors and be.....»»
Researchers propose inexpensive 2.2-kilometer telescope that could make exoplanet movies
Can a kilometer-scale telescope help conduct more efficient science, and specifically for the field of optical interferometry? This is what a study recently posted to the preprint server arXiv hopes to address......»»
How to watch the 2024 US Open: dates, times, live stream
All eyes in the tennis world will be on New York City for the 2024 US Open. Find out how to watch a live stream of the tournament......»»
Researcher explores how you can stretch your mind to grasp quantum entanglement
My new article, "Quantum Entanglement of Optical Photons: The First Experiment, 1964–67," is intended to convey the spirit of a small research project that reaches into uncharted territory. The article breaks with tradition, as it offers a first-pe.....»»
Inadequate sensors and decision-making at the root of false activations
The occasional misperception or misjudgment can trigger a sudden braking event that could result in a crash......»»
Researchers demonstrate metasurfaces that control thermal radiation in unprecedented ways
Researchers with the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) have experimentally demonstrated that metasurfaces (two-dimensional materials structured at the nanoscale) can precisely control the optical properties of t.....»»
World"s first micromachine twists 2D materials at will
Just a few years ago, researchers discovered that changing the angle between two layers of graphene, an atom-thick sheet of carbon, also changed the material's electronic and optical properties. They then learned that a "twist" of 1.1 degrees—dubbe.....»»
Repurposing pencil lead as an optical material using plasma
Optical materials are essential in many modern applications, but controlling the way a material reflects light on its surface is costly and difficult. Now, in a recent study, researchers from Japan found a simple and low-cost way of tuning the reflec.....»»
GM works to snuff out glitches as it eyes big software profits
GM believes software will be a huge revenue driver in the coming years, but resolving problems before vehicles launch and staying nimble have been challenges......»»