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Optics & Photonics news
Laser-made muons produce first images of dense objects
Muons are constantly being created as cosmic rays collide with molecules in Earth's upper atmosphere. With their ability to penetrate far into dense, solid materials, these cosmic muons are often used to image the insides ...
New device measures curved mirrors' absolute shape to within 2 nanometers without touching them
Researchers at AIST have developed a device that measures the absolute surface profile of curved optical elements with high precision without touching them.
Optics & Photonics
17 hours ago
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Rotating light pattern reveals laser frequency in a single image
An international team of physicists has developed a new method for determining the precise color of laser light using an image that rotates as the laser's frequency shifts.
Optics & Photonics
22 hours ago
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Enantioresolution turns bright but racemic gold-silver clusters into circularly polarized emitters
Chiral metal clusters that emit circularly polarized light often face a trade-off between photoluminescence efficiency and luminescence dissymmetry. A study published in the journal Advanced Optical Materials tested whether ...
Optics & Photonics
23 hours ago
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Quantum computer boldly goes where no quantum computer has gone before: Space
There's big news from the quantum world. A quantum computer has been used in space for the first time. The device was aboard a spacecraft in low Earth orbit and demonstrated technology that could eventually help solve a problem ...
New model explains why glass becomes less transparent to terahertz light
Electromagnetic waves in the gigahertz (GHz) range, such as those used in mobile communications, can readily pass through many types of glass. However, transmission decreases significantly at terahertz frequencies above a ...
General Physics
Sep 28, 2026
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Laser temporarily reprograms ultrathin optical device without electrodes
A tiny device that can be reprogrammed using a laser could lead to adaptable devices for computing, imaging and telecommunications. Most devices are built to perform a particular job. If you want them to do something different, ...
Optics & Photonics
Sep 28, 2026
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Mapping one atom's interaction with light uncovers an unbounded network of quantum states
A new graph-theoretic framework provides a unified description of atom-light interactions across regimes ranging from weak to deep-strong coupling.
Optics & Photonics
Sep 28, 2026
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Waves find order in the chaos of an oddly shaped cavity
When light or sound bounces around inside an oddly shaped room, its reflections can quickly become difficult to predict. But new research led by scientists at the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center ...
General Physics
Sep 28, 2026
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Ultrathin materials could make quantum light circuits programmable
Quantum photonics could be a pivotal part of future quantum technology if the right materials can be created, a new review paper has found.
Optics & Photonics
Sep 25, 2026
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Spin rephasing helps quantum memories store single-photon states longer for future networks
We are continuously sending information to each other, transmitting zeros and ones through a giant network of connected computers and devices. Scientists are now trying to extend this familiar concept of the internet to the ...
Optics & Photonics
Sep 25, 2026
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Light beam 'swims' upstream through a quantum fluid by violating Newton's third law
Just as a leaf drifts along with a stream, objects in other moving fluids normally drift along with the flow. That is, unless they exert energy to move against it. Although it may be less intuitive, light waves or photons ...
Scientists teleport quantum states across 100 parallel optical channels
Quantum communication networks consist of several connected nodes that exchange information encoded in quantum states. These networks could potentially enable more secure communications between quantum devices in different ...
X-ray light is like guitar music, with frequencies sliding continuously between harmonics
Ultrashort laser pulses can be used to generate X-rays. Normally, however, only certain specific frequencies are produced. A team from TU Wien and the University of California San Diego has developed a method that makes it ...
Optics & Photonics
Sep 21, 2026
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Photonic Legos of functional 3D thin-films unlock high-performance heterogeneous photonic integration
Photonic integrated circuits route information with optical signals instead of relying only on electrical currents. Silicon (Si) and silicon nitride (SiNx) are excellent photonic platforms for waveguides, but they cannot ...
Two-color light steers electrons through graphene's transient topological state
The electronic properties of materials are typically determined by their structure under normal, undisturbed conditions, when they are in a state known as equilibrium. Intense light beams, however, can temporarily reshape ...
Stacked 2D materials reveal room-temperature multiferroicity and voltage-controlled magnetism
Multiferroics are materials that simultaneously exhibit two or more ferroic orders—stable arrangements of physical properties that can be switched using an external stimulus. These materials could be highly advantageous for ...
A new bridge for quantum networks: Physicists convert microwaves to light using 2D magnets
Physicists at The City College of New York have demonstrated a new way to transfer microwave signals onto light using magnetic waves inside a layered semiconductor. The work establishes a materials platform for building interfaces ...
Optics & Photonics
Sep 17, 2026
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Robotic lab sets up and runs optics experiments on demand
Every new generation of phone display, television screen and solar panel is the result of precision optics experiments, which use lasers and other light sources to measure the optical properties of candidate materials. These ...
Optics & Photonics
Sep 17, 2026
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Handheld scanner delivers lab-quality chemical composition maps using infrared light
Researchers have developed a compact, handheld mid-infrared imaging spectrometer that can produce high-resolution chemical maps of a sample without using stains or labels. With further development, the handheld device might ...
Optics & Photonics
Sep 17, 2026
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More news
Dual findings reveal how to control coherence in plasmonic nanolasers
Disordered atoms steer shared light pulses by matching motion and timing
Getting photons into shape for reliable quantum communication
Bringing hidden optical imperfections to light
Helium-3 lifts new quantum computing concept with faster tunneling rates
Reversible electric control unlocks persistent chiral phonon states
A new type of LED light could bring significant efficiency gains
Quantum-optical spin glass could improve how AI remembers and learns
Sorry, this neutrino laser won't work, physicists say
Trapped light generates nanoscale magnetization
Ten-channel photonic interface links neutral-atom qubits in parallel
Physicists finally put Feynman's path integral to the test
Hollow-core fiber platform could help different quantum technologies connect
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Climate refuges may be key to restoring imperiled amphibians
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Engineered coating lets mitochondria retain their ability to produce energy
Light particles reveal critical scaling in a two-dimensional photon gas
New quantum computing method broadens spectroscopy of hard-to-model matter
Bright ideas accelerate the hunt for quantum emitters
A new family of materials for efficiently converting sunlight into clean energy
Rethinking liquid hydrogen storage with metal-organic frameworks
Light-driven nickel catalyst forms chemical bonds using less metal
