Using optical microscopy to take a look beneath the skin of "surfactant onions"
Surfactant onions form when layers of surfactant molecules organize around each other into a sphere. They are easily pictured by thinking of their vegetable namesake. Until now it has not been clear whether surfactant onions are perfect layered struc.....»»
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......»»
Non-Hermitian skin effect in all dimensions tied to point-gap topology
A study, published in the journal Science Bulletin and led by Dr. Haiping Hu from the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOP, CAS), explores the non-Hermitian skin effect (NHSE) and non-Bloch bands......»»
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.....»»
Light microscopy study reveals molecular density changes during mitotic chromosome condensation
A team of scientists studying cell division developed a special light microscopy system and used it to analyze the molecular density of cellular environments. Their results provide a novel insight into mitotic chromosome condensation in living human.....»»
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......»»
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.....»»
Ultra-sensitive photothermal microscopy technique detects single nanoparticles as small as 5 nm
The detection of individual particles and molecules has opened new horizons in analytical chemistry, cellular imaging, nanomaterials, and biomedical diagnostics. Traditional single-molecule detection methods rely heavily on fluorescence techniques, w.....»»
Researchers discover dual epicenters in New Year"s Day Noto earthquake
The first seven months of 2024 have been so eventful, it's easy to forget that the year started off with a magnitude 7.5 earthquake centered beneath Japan's Noto Peninsula on New Year's Day. The earthquake killed more than 280 people and damaged more.....»»
Single nucleosomes tracked in live cells during cell division using super-resolution microscopy
Individual cells divide through a process called mitosis, during which the cell's copied DNA is separated between two resulting daughter cells. Despite recent advances in cell biology, the mechanism by which DNA condenses during mitosis is still poor.....»»
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.....»»
Advanced orbital angular momentum mode switching in multimode fiber utilizing an optical neural network chip
The rapid development of technologies such as the internet, mobile communications, and artificial intelligence has dramatically increased the demand for high-capacity communication systems. Among various solutions, mode-division multiplexing (MDM) ha.....»»
Tissue fluidization during skin repair is crucial for wound healing, study reveals
The ability to repair tissue following injuries is essential for the survival of all animals. Following wounding, the skin is repaired by activating, migrating, and dividing skin stem cells. Defects of wound healing in humans lead to chronic wounds t.....»»
Quality control: Neatly arranging crystal growth to make fine thin films
Table salt and refined sugar look white to our eyes, but that is only because their individual colorless crystals scatter visible light. This feature of crystals is not always desirable when it comes to materials for optical and electrical devices, h.....»»
Proteins for skin strength also control cell signaling, study suggests
An extensive family of proteins that gives human skin mechanical strength also appears to organize molecular signals that control skin cell activity, a study led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers shows. The team's findings, published in D.....»»
New forensics technique measures individual DNA shedding to aid criminal investigations
A pioneering new DNA forensics technique is looking for a reliable method to measure a suspect's individual level of natural shedding of skin and other cells to add to, and compare with, evidence collected at crime scenes......»»
Coherence entropy unlocks new insights into light-field behavior
Light technology is at the heart of many cutting-edge innovations, from high-speed internet to advanced medical imaging. However, transmitting light through challenging environments, such as turbulent atmospheres or deformed optical systems, has alwa.....»»
Advanced microscopy method reveals hidden world of nanoscale optical metamaterials
Scientists from the Department of Physical Chemistry at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society have made a significant discovery in the field of nanotechnology, as detailed in their latest publication in Advanced Materials. Their paper,.....»»