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.
Photo-induced force microscopy began as a concept in the mind of Kumar Wickramasinghe when he was employed by IBM in the early years of the new millennium. After he came to the University of California, Irvine in 2006, the ...
General Physics
Jul 14, 2025
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30
A new study published in Cell has unveiled a first-of-a-kind optogenetic screening platform, developed by scientists at Integrated Biosciences, a biotechnology company integrating optogenetics, chemistry and AI to discover ...
Biotechnology
Jul 14, 2025
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41
Optical quantum clocks developed at the University of Adelaide have been proven to outperform GPS navigation systems by many orders of magnitude. The clocks, which were put through their paces in naval exercises, were designed ...
Optics & Photonics
Jul 8, 2025
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273
Three-dimensional (3D) imaging is essential for investigating cellular structure and dynamics. Traditional optical methods rely on adhesive or mechanical forces to hold and scan cells, which limit their applicability to suspended ...
Optics & Photonics
Jul 8, 2025
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85
Technologies such as biomedical imaging and spectroscopy could be enhanced by a discovery in research that involved several institutions, including the University of Glasgow. Scientists have found that two-photon processes, ...
Optics & Photonics
Jul 7, 2025
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63
Trinity College Dublin now has Ireland's first and only BioBrillouin microscope, which will enable researchers to make giant strides in the fields of inflammation, cancer, developmental biology and biomedical materials, among ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 3, 2025
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28
Traditional medical tests often require clinical samples to be sent off-site for analysis in a time-intensive and expensive process. Point-of-care diagnostics are instead low-cost, easy-to-use, and rapid tests performed at ...
Bio & Medicine
Jul 1, 2025
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76
A new tool called PHOTON, developed by scientists at UT Southwestern Medical Center, can identify RNA molecules at their native locations within cells—providing valuable clues to where different RNA species are distributed ...
Biotechnology
Jun 27, 2025
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23
Optical biosensors use light waves as a probe to detect molecules, and are essential for precise medical diagnostics, personalized medicine, and environmental monitoring.
Optics & Photonics
Jun 26, 2025
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94
Scientists at the University of Oxford have unveiled a pioneering method for capturing the full structure of ultra-intense laser pulses in a single measurement. The breakthrough, published in close collaboration with Ludwig-Maximilian ...
Optics & Photonics
Jun 26, 2025
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