https://phys.org/physics-news/optics-photonics en-us The latest news on Optics and Photonics The idea of objects seamlessly disappearing, not just in controlled laboratory environments but also in real-world scenarios, has long captured the popular imagination. This concept epitomizes the trajectory of human civilization, from primitive camouflage techniques to the sophisticated metamaterial-based cloaks of today. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-drone-invisibility-autonomous-sea-air.html General Physics Optics & Photonics Wed, 06 Mar 2024 12:47:03 EST news628951621 Two physicists at the University of Konstanz are developing a method that could enable the stable exchange of information in quantum computers. In the leading role: photons that make quantum bits "fly." https://phys.org/news/2024-03-photons-quantum-bits-fly-stable.html Optics & Photonics Quantum Physics Wed, 06 Mar 2024 11:47:03 EST news628948021 Stanford researchers have unveiled a new type of frequency comb, a high-precision measurement device, that is innovatively small, ultra-energy efficient, and exceptionally accurate. With continued development, this breakthrough "microcomb"—which is detailed in a study published March 7 in Nature—could be the basis for mass-market adoption of the devices in everyday electronics. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-ruler-enable-personal-devices.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 06 Mar 2024 11:00:01 EST news628942539 The many properties of light allow it to be manipulated and used for applications that range from very sensitive measurements to communications and intelligent ways to interrogate objects. A compelling degree of freedom is the spatial pattern, called structured light, which can resemble shapes such as donuts and flower petals. For instance, patterns with different numbers of petals can represent letters of the alphabet, and when observed on the other side, deliver the message. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-method-distortion.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 05 Mar 2024 14:23:02 EST news628870981 For more than a decade it has been possible for physicists to accurately measure the location of individual atoms to a precision smaller than one-thousandth of a millimeter using a special type of microscope. However, this method has so far only provided the x and y coordinates. Information on the vertical position of the atom is lacking. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-method-3d-position-individual-atoms.html Optics & Photonics Quantum Physics Tue, 05 Mar 2024 12:01:04 EST news628862462 Researchers have developed a new way to control and manipulate optical signals by embedding a liquid crystal layer into waveguides created with direct laser writing. The new devices enable electro-optical control of polarization, which could open new possibilities for chip-based devices and complex photonic circuits based on femtosecond-written waveguides. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-liquid-crystals-polarization-laser-written.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 04 Mar 2024 17:43:03 EST news628796581 In Nature Physics, the LSU Quantum Photonics Group offers fresh insights into the fundamental traits of surface plasmons, challenging the existing understanding. Based on experimental and theoretical investigations conducted in Associate Professor Omar Magaña-Loaiza's laboratory, these novel findings mark a significant advancement in quantum plasmonics, possibly the most noteworthy in the past decade. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-multiparticle-nanostructures-quantum-technologies.html Optics & Photonics Quantum Physics Mon, 04 Mar 2024 12:00:01 EST news628775481 Stimulated Raman scattering, observed first in 1962, has become a versatile tool in diverse fields such as biological imaging, environmental gas sensing, materials characterization, and molecular dynamics tracking. The choice of laser sources for exciting molecules or materials is critical, as it determines spectral resolution and the approach to obtain the Raman spectrum. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-hyper-spectral-resolution-raman-spectroscopy.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 04 Mar 2024 09:53:21 EST news628768398 Quantum sensor technology promises even more precise measurements of physical quantities. A team led by Christian Roos at the University of Innsbruck has now compared the signals of up to 91 quantum sensors with one another and thus successfully eliminated the noise caused by interactions with the environment. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-spectroscopy-network-quantum-sensors-boosts.html Optics & Photonics Quantum Physics Mon, 04 Mar 2024 09:41:12 EST news628767669 Fiber, as the wearable material with the longest application in the history of humankind, is currently an ideal substrate for wearable devices due to its excellent breathability, flexibility, and ability to adapt perfectly to the 3D irregular shape of the human body. As a means of visualization in the field of functional fibers, light-emitting fiber breaks the rigidity of the traditional display interface and is expected to become an emerging interaction interface. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-mass-commercially-multicolored-photochromic-fiber.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 01 Mar 2024 12:07:19 EST news628517236 In day-to-day life, light seems intangible. We walk through it and create and extinguish it with the flip of a switch. But, like matter, light actually carries a little punch—it has momentum. Light constantly nudges things and can even be used to push spacecraft. Light can also spin objects if it carries orbital angular momentum (OAM)—the property associated with a rotating object's tendency to keep spinning. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-laser-merry.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 01 Mar 2024 11:55:06 EST news628516502 Research groups led by Prof. Bi Guoqiang, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), and Prof. Zhou Pengcheng from Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology of Chinese Academy of Chinese proposed a design for ultra-compact head-mounted fluorescence microscopes, which were applied to neuro observations. The study was published in National Science Review. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-ultra-compact-mounted-fluorescence-microscopes.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 29 Feb 2024 17:07:03 EST news628448822 For a long time, it was thought that amorphous solids do not selectively absorb light because of their disordered atomic structure. However, a new uOttawa study disproves this theory and shows that amorphous solids actually exhibit dichroism, meaning that they selectively absorb light of different polarizations. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-scientists-reveal-formless-solids.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 29 Feb 2024 10:51:49 EST news628426306 A research group at Chuo University, Japan, led by Assistant Professor Kou Li (Faculty of Science and Engineering), in collaboration with National Institute of Informatics, have developed a novel non-destructive inspection technique by effectively combining their own multi-functional photo monitoring device and system with image data-driven three-dimensional (3D) restoration methods. The technique precisely evaluates target objects by compositional identifications and structural reconstructions. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-destructive-technique-reconstructs-hidden-composition.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 28 Feb 2024 16:48:39 EST news628361317 A research team led by Professor Wang Cheng from the Department of Electrical Engineering (EE) at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) has developed a world-leading microwave photonic chip that is capable of performing ultrafast analog electronic signal processing and computation using optics. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-world-microwave-photonics-chip-high.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 28 Feb 2024 11:00:01 EST news628247695 Scientists have created a reprogrammable light-based processor, a world-first, that they say could usher in a new era of quantum computing and communication. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-capabilities.html Optics & Photonics Quantum Physics Wed, 28 Feb 2024 10:17:42 EST news628337858 Optical materials capable of dynamically manipulating electromagnetic waves are an emerging field in memories, optical modulators, and thermal management. Recently, their multispectral design preliminarily has attracted much attention, aiming to enhance their efficiency and integration of functionalities. However, the multispectral manipulation based on these materials is challenging due to their ubiquitous wavelength dependence restricting their capacity to narrow wavelengths. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-tunable-vo-cavity-enables-multispectral.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 27 Feb 2024 12:44:53 EST news628260291 The simplest possible molecule H2+ was one of the very first molecules to form in the cosmos. This makes it significant for astrophysics, but also an important object of research for fundamental physics. However, it is difficult to study in experiments. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-simplest-molecule-precise-theoretical.html Optics & Photonics Quantum Physics Tue, 27 Feb 2024 09:58:03 EST news628250281 Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have shown for the first time that expensive aberration-corrected microscopes are no longer required to achieve record-breaking microscopic resolution. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-reimagining-electron-microscopy-high-resolution.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 26 Feb 2024 17:44:03 EST news628191841 Scientists are getting a more detailed look than ever before at the electrons they use in precision experiments. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-laser-focused-electrons-shatters-world.html General Physics Optics & Photonics Mon, 26 Feb 2024 14:02:31 EST news628178545 Scientists at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) have collaborated with the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT) on a new study to better understand the degradation of blue organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The study has been published in Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-collaborating-scientists-insights-blue-oled.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 26 Feb 2024 11:39:20 EST news628169957 Scientists at Paderborn University have used a new method to determine the characteristics of optical quantum states. For the first time, they are using certain photon detectors—devices that can detect individual light particles—for so-called homodyne detection. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-properties-scientists-method-quantum-states.html Optics & Photonics Quantum Physics Mon, 26 Feb 2024 11:04:14 EST news628167852 Stanford researchers are getting closer to building a tiny electron accelerator based on "accelerator-on-a-chip" technology with broad potential applications in studying physics as well as medical and industrial uses. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-chip-advance-electrons-microchip-scale.html General Physics Optics & Photonics Mon, 26 Feb 2024 10:52:04 EST news628167121 In our data-driven era, solving complex problems efficiently is crucial. However, traditional computers often struggle with this task when dealing with a large number of interacting variables, leading to inefficiencies such as the von Neumann bottleneck. A new type of collective state computing has emerged to address this issue by mapping these optimization problems onto something called the Ising problem in magnetism. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-array-vcsels-optical-feedback.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 23 Feb 2024 13:43:31 EST news627918205 Understanding complex biological and biomedical systems is greatly aided by 3D imaging, which provides much more detailed information than traditional two-dimensional methods. However, live cell and tissue imaging remain challenging due to factors like limited imaging speed and significant scattering in turbid environments. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-3d-chemical-imaging-phase-modulation.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 22 Feb 2024 12:44:03 EST news627828241 A team of researchers from the Max Born Institute in Berlin has, for the first time, demonstrated attosecond-pump attosecond-probe spectroscopy (APAPS) at a repetition rate of 1 kilohertz. This became possible by the development of a compact, intense attosecond source using an out-of-focus generation geometry. The approach opens new avenues for the investigation of extremely fast electron dynamics in the attosecond regime. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-chapter-attosecond-spectroscopy-kilohertz-repetition.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 22 Feb 2024 11:12:38 EST news627822755 National University of Singapore researchers and their collaborators have unveiled a novel concept termed "supercritical coupling" that enables a several-fold increase in photon upconversion efficiency. This discovery not only challenges existing paradigms, but also opens a new direction in the control of light emission. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-photon-upconversion-supercritical-coupling.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 22 Feb 2024 10:26:49 EST news627820007 Research by Dr. Ruiwen Shao and Prof. Junwei Wu (Institute of Electromagnetic Space, Southeast University, Nanjing, China) teaches us about how digital metasurfaces lose information. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-accurate-quantitative-analysis-loss-digital.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 21 Feb 2024 16:30:03 EST news627755401 An HZB physicist has developed a new method for the comprehensive characterization of semiconductors in a single measurement. The "Constant Light-Induced Magneto-Transport (CLIMAT)" is based on the Hall effect and allows the recording of 14 different parameters of transport properties of negative and positive charge carriers. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-parameters-instrument-optoelectronics.html Condensed Matter Optics & Photonics Wed, 21 Feb 2024 11:20:03 EST news627736801 At the heart of advancing semiconductor chip technology lies a critical challenge: creating smaller, more efficient electronic components. This challenge is particularly evident in the field of lithography, the process used to create intricate patterns on semiconductor materials (called wafers) for the production of chips. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-lithography-mask-wafer-optimization-method.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 20 Feb 2024 17:24:03 EST news627672241