Optical techniques are experimental and analytical methods that exploit the generation, manipulation, and detection of electromagnetic radiation in the ultraviolet, visible, and infrared ranges to probe material properties, structures, and dynamics. They encompass approaches such as absorption, fluorescence, Raman and elastic scattering measurements, interferometry, and imaging modalities that rely on well-defined light–matter interactions. These techniques enable quantitative characterization of refractive indices, absorption coefficients, energy level structures, molecular conformations, and nanoscale morphology, often with high spatial and temporal resolution. Optical techniques are widely integrated with spectroscopy, microscopy, and metrology platforms and can be implemented in both far-field and near-field configurations.
Researchers at Friedrich Schiller University Jena and the University of Regensburg have developed a method for determining, using light, a quantum property of electrons that has hitherto been difficult to access. The focus ...
Optics & Photonics
Oct 13, 2026
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Scientists have long sought to understand the complex origins of intelligent life. It remains unclear how biological systems not only formed but survived and persisted under the extreme conditions of primordial Earth's hostile ...
Evolution
Oct 12, 2026
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14
Gravity, the attraction between objects with mass, is the weakest of the four fundamental forces governing physical processes. Detecting the tiny gravitational pull of objects that are just a few millimeters in size and have ...
A novel nanovesicle-based platform developed at Institute of Science Tokyo can measure hydrostatic pressure by converting pressure-induced molecular changes into fluorescence signals.
Bio & Medicine
Oct 9, 2026
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Cornell researchers have designed a new, faster form of two-photon fluorescence imaging for observing cell metabolism in real time, a method that could enable quicker screening of new therapeutic treatments. The findings ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 9, 2026
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66
Finding a single cancer cell in a tube of blood is a bit like finding a needle in a haystack. As researchers seek to detect ever-smaller and rarer targets, from viruses to circulating tumor cells in blood, the demand for ...
Bio & Medicine
Oct 9, 2026
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26
University of Glasgow researchers are part of an international collaboration that could lead to a new generation of quantum sensors. The team, which included researchers from the University of Tokyo, University of Glasgow, ...
Condensed Matter
Oct 9, 2026
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63
In a study led by Tampere University, researchers have developed a new lensless imaging method that produces precise quantitative data on living cells from a single image. The compact system can be placed inside a standard ...
Optics & Photonics
Oct 8, 2026
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14
Light sheet microscopy allows biologists to selectively light up a thin slice of a sample. This method can improve image contrast by reducing background light while remaining gentle on the sample, reducing photodamage and ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 8, 2026
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14
A new type of advanced microscope (wide-field coherent multidimensional microscopy) has been developed. It uses a carefully designed sequence of ultrashort light pulses to study the behavior of high-tech materials, with potential ...
Optics & Photonics
Oct 7, 2026
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