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.
In a paper published earlier this month in Physical Review Letters, a team of physicists led by Jonathan Richardson of the University of California, Riverside, showcases how new optical technology can extend the detection ...
General Physics
Feb 14, 2025
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260
Researchers have developed a novel experimental platform to measure the electric fields of light trapped between two mirrors with a sub-cycle precision.
Optics & Photonics
Feb 13, 2025
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84
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 ...
Optics & Photonics
Feb 11, 2025
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152
Terahertz radiation (THz), electromagnetic radiation with frequencies ranging from 0.1 and 10 THz, is central to the functioning of various technologies, including imaging, sensing and spectroscopy tools. While THz radiation ...
Optical fibers are fundamental components in modern science and technology due to their inherent advantages, providing an efficient and secure medium for applications such as internet communication and big data transmission. ...
Optics & Photonics
Feb 7, 2025
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64
A team of engineers, physicists and computer specialists at Canadian company, Xanadu Quantum Technologies Inc., has unveiled what they describe as the world's first scalable, connected, photonic quantum computer prototype.
How can the latest technology, such as solar cells, be improved? An international research team led by the University of Göttingen is helping to find answers to questions like this with a new technique. For the first time, ...
Condensed Matter
Jan 29, 2025
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100
A team of international researchers has developed an innovative approach to uncover the secrets of dark matter. In a collaboration between the University of Queensland, Australia, and Germany's metrology institute (Physikalisch-Technische ...
General Physics
Jan 24, 2025
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157
Physicists from the group of Jorik van de Groep at the UvA-Institute of Physics have devised a new method that can be used to detect edges of images in an extremely energy efficient and ultrafast way. The results were recently ...
Optics & Photonics
Jan 23, 2025
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759
For the first time ever, scientists have used a technique called "quantum squeezing" to improve the gas sensing performance of devices known as optical frequency comb lasers. These ultra-precise sensors are like fingerprint ...
Optics & Photonics
Jan 16, 2025
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230
