Optical & microwave phenomena as a research area investigates the generation, propagation, interaction, and detection of electromagnetic radiation spanning the optical (visible, ultraviolet, infrared) and microwave spectral ranges, with emphasis on their underlying physical mechanisms and cross-regime analogies. It encompasses coherent and incoherent light–matter interactions, waveguiding, scattering, nonlinear effects, resonances, and quantum electrodynamical aspects, as well as microwave cavity dynamics, dispersion, and near-field behavior. The field supports development of advanced spectroscopies, imaging modalities, communication and sensing technologies, and enables engineered materials and structures (e.g., photonic and microwave metamaterials) that tailor electromagnetic response across these frequency bands.
Imagine shining a flashlight into a material and watching the light bend backward—or in an entirely unexpected direction—as if defying the law of physics. This phenomenon, known as negative refraction, could transform imaging, ...
Condensed Matter
Feb 2, 2026
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A team of researchers studying the uncertainties associated with a phenomenon known as cosmic birefringence has developed a method to reduce uncertainties in its observational measurements, according to a new study published ...
Astronomy
Jan 28, 2026
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67
The field of nanomaterials is witnessing a transformative shift at the intersection of organic chemistry and molecular engineering. Among the most promising molecular structures are carbon nanohoops, of which [n]cycloparaphenylenes ...
Nanomaterials
Jan 27, 2026
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20
Light and matter can remain at separate temperatures even while interacting with each other for long periods, according to new research that could help scale up an emerging quantum computing approach in which photons and ...
Condensed Matter
Jan 21, 2026
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69
A nanostructure made of silver and an atomically thin semiconductor layer can be turned into an ultrafast switching mirror device that may function as an optical transistor—with a switching speed around 10,000 times faster ...
Nanophysics
Jan 21, 2026
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87
Whether in a smartphone or laptop, semiconductors form the basis of modern electronics and accompany us constantly in everyday life. The processes taking place inside these materials are the subject of ongoing research. When ...
Condensed Matter
Jan 19, 2026
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1243
What if you could create new materials just by shining a light at them? To most, this sounds like science fiction or alchemy, but to physicists investigating the burgeoning field of Floquet engineering, this is the goal. ...
Condensed Matter
Jan 19, 2026
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1741
A recent study carried out by researchers from EHU, the Materials Physics Center, nanoGUNE, and DIPC introduces a novel approach to solar energy conversion and spintronics. The work tackles a long-standing limitation in the ...
Condensed Matter
Jan 15, 2026
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45
Controlling light is an important technological challenge—not just at the large scale of optics in microscopes and telescopes, but also at the nanometer scale. Recently, physicists at the University of Amsterdam published ...
Optics & Photonics
Jan 8, 2026
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110
A breakthrough development in nanofabrication could help support the development of new wireless, flexible, high-performance transparent electronic devices.
Nanophysics
Dec 19, 2025
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