Until recently, it was widely believed among physicists that it was impossible to compress light below the so-called diffraction limit (see below), except when using metal nanoparticles, which unfortunately also absorb light. ...
Optics & Photonics
Oct 26, 2022
0
973
Atomic-scale magnetic patterns resembling a hedgehog's spikes could result in hard disks with massively larger capacities than today's devices, a new study suggests. The finding could help data centers keep up with the exponentially ...
Nanophysics
Dec 17, 2021
0
1020
Unlike the jumble of frequencies produced by the light that surrounds us in daily life, each frequency of light in a specialized light source known as a "soliton" frequency comb oscillates in unison, generating solitary pulses ...
Optics & Photonics
Dec 16, 2021
0
684
Fifteen years ago, UC Santa Barbara electrical and materials professor John Bowers pioneered a method for integrating a laser onto a silicon wafer. The technology has since been widely deployed in combination with other silicon ...
General Physics
Jul 1, 2021
4
181
As our lives become increasingly intertwined with technology—whether supporting communication while working remotely or streaming our favorite show—so too does our reliance on the data these devices create. Data centers ...
Condensed Matter
Sep 18, 2020
0
240
By conducting deep photometric and medium-resolution spectroscopic observations, Russian astronomers have investigated Palomar 3, a distant galactic globular cluster. Results of this observational campaign provide more insights ...
Upside-down "rivers" of warm ocean water are eroding the fractured edges of thick, floating Antarctic ice shelves from below, helping to create conditions that lead to ice-shelf breakup and sea-level rise, according to a ...
Earth Sciences
Oct 9, 2019
19
1162
MIT researchers have developed a novel "photonic" chip that uses light instead of electricity—and consumes relatively little power in the process. The chip could be used to process massive neural networks millions of times ...
General Physics
Jun 6, 2019
1
722
Engineers at the University of California, Berkeley have built a new photonic switch that can control the direction of light passing through optical fibers faster and more efficiently than ever. This optical "traffic cop" ...
Optics & Photonics
Apr 12, 2019
0
138
Lasers play a vital role in everything from modern communications and connectivity to bio-medicine and manufacturing. Many applications, however, require lasers that can emit multiple frequencies—colors of light—simultaneously, ...
Optics & Photonics
Mar 18, 2019
1
496
