Optics and photonics Archives

Optics and photonics

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Illustration showing an orange sphere hovering in space within a dark blue hemispherical curved mirror. A standing light wave, shown in red, reflects from the mirror and a stream of information, represented by 1s and 0s written in a wavelike form, radiates outward

Quantum effect could tame noisy nanoparticles by rendering them invisible

Ferenc Krausz explains how ultrashort laser pulses could help detect disease

Nobel laureate also talks about science education for children displaced by war

Photonic computer chips perform as well as purely electronic counterparts, say researchers

New light-based chips could boost machine leaning

Research headlines

Optical micrograph of the quantum transducer

Quantum transducer enables optical control of a superconducting qubit

Abnormal ‘Arnold’s tongue’ patterns appear in a real oscillating system

Oz principle for stimulating the human retina

Retinal stimulation reveals colour never before seen by the human eye

New entanglement approach could boost photonic quantum computing

Harnessing the mathematical concept of non-Abelian holonomy makes it possible to entangle photons deterministically, say theorists

Solar cell greenhouse accelerates plant growth

A greenhouse with a perovskite solar cell rooftop led to faster growth and larger leaves in radicchio seedlings

CO₂ laser enables long-range detection of radioactive material

Remote detection of radioactive material could play an important role in nuclear disaster response and nuclear security

Optical sensors could improve the comfort of indoor temperatures

Integrating low-cost infrared sensors into thermostats could increase occupants’ comfort while optimizing energy use

Flexible tactile sensor reads braille in real time

A tactile sensor based on an optical fibre ring resonator helps blind or partially sighted people interact seamlessly with braille-based devices

New method recycles quantum dots used in microscopic lasers

Expensive and sometimes toxic elements can be reused in new devices

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Features

3D model of the High Energy Photon Source (HEPS) synchrotron building

China’s High Energy Photon Source prepares to light up the world

Hands holding a small piece of medical equipment in front of a patient's eye

Oculomics: a window to the health of the body

Rethinking physics: Silvia Vignolini on succeeding at the boundary between disciplines

Explore more in optics and photonics

FLIR MIX image of champagne being uncorked

FLIR MIX – a breakthrough in infrared and visible imaging

Join the audience for a live webinar at 2 p.m. BST/3 p.m. CEST on 19 May 2025, sponsored by Teledyne FLIR LLC

LED light bulbs hanging from the ceiling

James McKenzie: how I knew the writing was on the wall for our rival’s lighting technology

James McKenzie says that if businesses don’t evaluate customer feedback they’re in danger of going to the wall

Multiphoton microscopy image of lung tissue

Simultaneous two- and three-photon imaging enables rapid cancer diagnosis

Portable multiphoton microscopy system uses femtosecond laser pulses to create pathology-quality diagnostic images

Photonics West shines a light on optical innovation

SPIE Photonics West brings the global optics and photonics community together in San Francisco to share the latest research and technology breakthroughs

$Diffractive robotics platform$

Magnetically controlled microbots are small enough to diffract visible light

Untethered microscopic robots offer new ways of probing the microscopic world

Photo of the laser shadow in a dark laboratory, where it appears as a faint black line across a bright blue background

Laser beam casts a shadow in a ruby crystal

Complex photon-photon interactions make a beam of light behave like a solid object

Diagram showing a grid of squares (representing waveguides) mapped onto images of colourful swirls (representing values calculated using the waveguide system)

Electromagnetic waves solve partial differential equations

New photonic technique could boost analogue alternatives to numerical methods

Ultrafast electron entanglement could be studied using helium photoemission

Calculations suggest sub-femtosecond resolution is possible

Lens breakthrough paves the way for ultrathin cameras

A metasurface-based folded lens system shows promise for creating a new generation of slimline cameras

Four-wave mixing could boost optical communications in space

Nonlinear effect amplifies weak signals

7-11-2024 Oxford solar cell researchers list

How to boost the sustainability of solar cells

Roadmap authors look to the future of photovoltaic technologies in this podcast

First human retinal image brings sight-saving portable OCT a step closer

Siloton’s handheld OCT system could soon be used for home-based monitoring of retinal disease, and may one day find its way onto future space missions

Chip-based optical tweezers manipulate microparticles and cells from a distance

Integrated optical phased array uses a tightly focused beam of light to trap and manipulate biological particles

Liquid-crystal bifocal lens excels at polarization and edge imaging

Applied voltage adjusts intensity at twin focal points

Camera takes inspiration from cats’ eyes to improve imaging performance

Device might be employed in applications such as autonomous vehicles, drones and surveillance systems

Penn State researchers Xingjie Ni and Zhiwen Liu

Metasurface-enhanced camera performs hyperspectral and polarimetric imaging

Inexpensive metasurface could revolutionize the capabilities of conventional imaging systems

Ask me anything: Fatima Gunning – ‘Thinking outside the box is a winner when it comes to problem solving’

Physicist Fatima Gunning explains how mentorship has helped her grow as a researcher and teacher

Series of visible-light colours generated by a microring resonator

New on-chip laser fills long sought-after green gap

Devices will be important for applications in quantum sensing and computing, biology, underwater communications and display technologies

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Optics and photonics | Workshop Complex Photonic Systems with Broken Symmetries: Synergetic Effects of Wave Chaos and Non-Hermiticity 17—26 June 2025 | Dresden, Germany
Optics and photonics | Exhibition Laser World of Photonics 2025 24—27 June 2025 | Munich, Germany
Optics and photonics | Conference 9th International Conference on Laser Peening and Related Phenomena (ICLPRP) 28 September — 3 October 2025 | Prague, Czech Republic

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