/ en-us Â鶹ÒùÔº internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Â鶹ÒùÔºics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. A photonics research group co-led by Gregor Weihs of the University of Innsbruck has developed a new technique for generating multi-photon states from quantum dots that overcomes the limitations of conventional approaches. This has immediate applications in secure quantum key distribution protocols, where it can enable simultaneous secure communication with different parties. /news/2025-08-quantum-dot-technique-multi-photon.html Optics & Photonics Quantum Â鶹ÒùÔºics Mon, 11 Aug 2025 16:22:03 EDT news674148121 Konstantin Vodopyanov, a professor at the College of Sciences and CREOL, the College of Optics and Photonics, recently co-authored a study published in the journal Optica. This research examines electro-optic sampling (EOS), a technique that advances fields such as quantum physics, molecular spectroscopy and biomedical sensing. /news/2025-05-electro-optic-sampling-insights-quantum.html Optics & Photonics Quantum Â鶹ÒùÔºics Thu, 15 May 2025 16:57:03 EDT news666547021 A research team led by Professor Takayuki Hoshino of Nagoya University's Graduate School of Engineering in Japan has demonstrated the world's smallest shooting game by manipulating nanoparticles in real time, resulting in a game that is played with particles approximately 1 billionth of a meter in size. /news/2025-02-world-smallest-video-game-nanoscale.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Wed, 26 Feb 2025 11:41:03 EST news659792461 From integrated photonics to quantum information science, the ability to control light with electric fields—a phenomenon known as the electro-optic effect—supports vital applications such as light modulation and frequency transduction. These components rely on nonlinear optical materials, in which light waves can be manipulated by applying electric fields. /news/2025-02-illuminates-path-superior-electro-optic.html Condensed Matter Optics & Photonics Tue, 25 Feb 2025 16:11:08 EST news659722252 Researchers have developed a novel experimental platform to measure the electric fields of light trapped between two mirrors with a sub-cycle precision. /news/2025-02-invisible-electro-optic-cavities.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 13 Feb 2025 00:44:22 EST news658629855 Qubits—the fundamental units of quantum information—drive entire tech sectors. Among them, superconducting qubits could be instrumental in building a large-scale quantum computer, but they rely on electrical signals and are difficult to scale. /news/2025-02-physicists-fully-optical-readout-superconducting.html Optics & Photonics Quantum Â鶹ÒùÔºics Tue, 11 Feb 2025 09:03:05 EST news658486981 A research team has discovered that achiral hard banana-shaped particles can spontaneously form exotic structures like skyrmions and blue phase III phases. Skyrmions are tiny vortex-like structures found in various condensed-matter systems, such as helical ferromagnets and liquid crystals. Blue phase III is an amorphous phase of liquid crystals that possesses strong optical activity. Achiral particles are particles that can be superimposed on their mirror image. The team's findings have potential applications in photonics and memory devices. /news/2025-01-achiral-hard-banana-particles-skyrmions.html Condensed Matter Optics & Photonics Mon, 27 Jan 2025 11:48:03 EST news657200881 In the world of modern optics, frequency combs are invaluable tools. These devices act as rulers for measuring light, enabling breakthroughs in telecommunications, environmental monitoring, and even astrophysics. But building compact and efficient frequency combs has been a challenge—until now. /news/2025-01-compact-gen-photonics.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 22 Jan 2025 11:00:01 EST news656756627 Monitoring electrical signals in biological systems helps scientists understand how cells communicate, which can aid in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions like arrhythmia and Alzheimer's. /news/2024-12-wireless-antennas-harness-decode-cellular.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Fri, 20 Dec 2024 14:00:01 EST news653907601 Photonics is the study of the generation, detection, and manipulation of light waves in the form of photons. One interesting property of light is polarization, defined by its electric and magnetic fields oscillating in any direction perpendicular to the direction of propagation. This oscillation is not restricted to one plane either. Circular polarization occurs when light waves have electric fields that follow a spiral trajectory along the direction of propagation. /news/2024-11-spiral-ladder-tool-precision-polarization.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Thu, 14 Nov 2024 12:22:35 EST news650809345 In an advance that could revolutionize biomarker detection, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light have developed a novel technique called femtosecond fieldoscopy. This method enables the precise measurement of minute liquid quantities, down to the micromolar level, with unmatched sensitivity in the near-infrared region. /news/2024-10-femtosecond-fieldoscopy-accesses-molecule-fingerprints.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 22 Oct 2024 12:28:03 EDT news648818881 Polaritons are coupled excitations of electromagnetic waves with either charged particles or vibrations in the atomic lattice of a given material. They are widely used in nanophotonics because of their ability to confine light at extremely small volumes, on the order of nanometers, which is essential to enhance light-matter interactions. /news/2024-10-platform-2d-polaritons-miniaturized-spectrometers.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Tue, 22 Oct 2024 12:20:12 EDT news648818409 Laser-plasma accelerators take up less space than conventional facilities, which are sometimes kilometers long. Such compact particle sources can accelerate electron bunches efficiently, enabling X-ray lasers that fit in the basement of a university institute. /news/2024-08-diagnostic-tool-laser-plasma-metal.html Optics & Photonics Plasma Â鶹ÒùÔºics Fri, 30 Aug 2024 09:06:30 EDT news644227587 Four researchers from the Institute of Photonics at Leibniz University Hannover have developed a new transmitter-receiver concept for transmitting entangled photons over an optical fiber. This breakthrough could enable the next generation of telecommunications technology, the quantum internet, to be routed via optical fibers. The quantum internet promises eavesdropping-proof encryption methods that even future quantum computers cannot decrypt, ensuring the security of critical infrastructure. /news/2024-08-physicists-method-combine-conventional-internet.html Quantum Â鶹ÒùÔºics Mon, 05 Aug 2024 11:34:24 EDT news642076461 In a significant leap forward for quantum technology, researchers have achieved a milestone in harnessing the frequency dimension within integrated photonics. This breakthrough not only promises advancements in quantum computing, but also lays the groundwork for ultra-secure communications networks. /news/2024-07-silicon-photonics-large-scale-applications.html Optics & Photonics Quantum Â鶹ÒùÔºics Mon, 15 Jul 2024 16:25:04 EDT news640279502 In the rapidly evolving field of photonics, an advancement has emerged from Korea, redefining the possibilities of structural color manipulation. Scientists have developed a pioneering technology capable of omnidirectional wavelength tuning, which promises to revolutionize a myriad of tunable photonic applications. /news/2024-05-omnidirectional-wavelength-tuning-method-possibilities.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 22 May 2024 11:46:03 EDT news635597161 Responding to the increasing demand for efficient, tunable optical materials capable of precise light modulation to create greater bandwidth in communication networks and advanced optical systems, a team of researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi's Photonics Research Lab (PRL) have developed a novel, two-dimensional (2D) material capable of manipulating light with exceptional precision and minimal loss. /news/2024-04-2d-material-remarkable-precision-minimal.html Condensed Matter Optics & Photonics Mon, 22 Apr 2024 13:00:28 EDT news633009626 A research group has developed a new and highly efficient upconversion luminescence mechanism by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) induced luminescence to observe an extraordinarily bright single-molecule upconversion electroluminescence (UCEL) phenomenon for the first time. The results are published in Nature Communications. /news/2024-04-anomalously-bright-molecule-upconversion-electroluminescence.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 01 Apr 2024 11:52:19 EDT news631191137 New research in Â鶹ÒùÔºical Review Letters (PRL) has proposed a novel method to detect light dark matter candidates using laser interferometry to measure the oscillatory electric fields generated by these candidates. /news/2024-03-galileo-scientists-method-dark.html Astronomy Fri, 15 Mar 2024 09:40:02 EDT news629714231 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. /news/2024-03-liquid-crystals-polarization-laser-written.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 04 Mar 2024 17:43:03 EST news628796581 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. /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. /news/2024-02-capabilities.html Optics & Photonics Quantum Â鶹ÒùÔºics Wed, 28 Feb 2024 10:17:42 EST news628337858 In the ever-evolving realm of microscopy, recent years have witnessed remarkable strides in both hardware and algorithms, propelling our ability to explore the infinitesimal wonders of life. However, the journey towards three-dimensional structured illumination microscopy (3DSIM) has been hampered by challenges arising from the speed and intricacy of polarization modulation. /news/2024-02-super-resolution-microscopy-harnesses-digital.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 14 Feb 2024 16:36:03 EST news627150961 When someone comes up with the word "magnify," it is referring either to making distant objects closer or making small objects bigger on a tangible scale. There is no doubt that the power of magnifying instruments, regardless of the scale and direction, can lead to the advancement of the scientific field. Since its launch in 2021, James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has embarked on a mission to collect unprecedented data from the deep universe, aiming to extend our understanding of the early universe and lifecycle of celestial bodies. /news/2024-01-ultrathin-membranes-uncovering-atomic-scale.html Nanomaterials Tue, 30 Jan 2024 09:00:01 EST news625766358 A new study in Nature Communications investigates the electrical tuning of branched light flow in nematic liquid crystal (NLC) films, revealing controlled patterns and statistical characteristics with potential applications in optics and photonics. /news/2024-01-disorder-exploring-electrical-tuning-liquid.html Optics & Photonics Soft Matter Mon, 15 Jan 2024 10:10:01 EST news624534463 Within atomic and laser physics communities, scientist John "Jan" Hall has become a key figure in the history of laser frequency stabilization and precision measurement using lasers. Hall's work revolved around understanding and manipulating stable lasers in ways that were revolutionary for their time. His work laid a technical foundation for measuring a tiny fractional distance change brought by a passing gravitational wave. His work in laser arrays awarded him the Nobel Prize in Â鶹ÒùÔºics in 2005. /news/2024-01-scheme-precision-lasers.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 15 Jan 2024 09:36:04 EST news624533761 The race to develop quantum computers has really heated up over the past few years. State-of-the-art systems can now run simple algorithms using dozens of qubits—or quantum bits—which are the building blocks of quantum computers. /news/2023-12-approach-measurement-based-quantum.html Quantum Â鶹ÒùÔºics Thu, 21 Dec 2023 09:41:19 EST news622374075 A study published in the journal Â鶹ÒùÔºical Review Letters by researchers in Japan solves a long-standing problem in quantum physics by redefining the uncertainty principle. /news/2023-12-uncertainty-principle-unbounded.html General Â鶹ÒùÔºics Quantum Â鶹ÒùÔºics Thu, 14 Dec 2023 10:41:59 EST news621772911 A central goal in quantum optics and photonics is to increase the strength of the interaction between light and matter to produce, for example, better photodetectors or quantum light sources. The best way to do that is to use optical resonators that store light for a long time, making it interact more strongly with matter. If the resonator is also very small, such that light is squeezed into a tiny region of space, the interaction is enhanced even further. The ideal resonator would store light for a long time in a region at the size of a single atom. /news/2023-12-bowtie-resonators-bridge-gap-nanoscopic.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Wed, 06 Dec 2023 11:00:02 EST news621081182 From monitoring concentrations of greenhouse gases to detecting COVID in the breath, laser systems known as frequency combs can identify specific molecules as simple as carbon dioxide and as complex as monoclonal antibodies with unprecedented accuracy and sensitivity. Amazing as they are, however, frequency combs have been limited in how fast they can capture a high-speed process such as hypersonic propulsion or the folding of proteins into their final three-dimensional shapes. /news/2023-10-frequency-molecules-nanosecond-snapshots.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 30 Oct 2023 12:36:03 EDT news617888161