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Optics & Photonics news
New atomic trap boosts quantum performance by using surface forces
Researchers at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin have developed a new method for trapping and controlling atoms near an ultrathin glass fiber. This has significantly improved the atoms' ability to store quantum information—an ...
Optics & Photonics
Jul 14, 2026
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World-first neutron lens brings sharp focus to structures inside materials and objects
Researchers at Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) have developed the world's first achromatic lens for neutron imaging. The lens overcomes a longstanding obstacle in the field: focusing neutrons of different wavelengths well enough ...
Optics & Photonics
Jul 14, 2026
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Researchers define new frontier in quantum materials
Researchers at City College of New York physicist Vinod M. Menon's Laboratory for Nano and Micro Photonics (LaNMP) have outlined an emerging frontier in quantum materials: atomically thin systems in which light, magnetism ...
Condensed Matter
Jul 14, 2026
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Firefly brightness holds a cautionary tale about accepting older measurements
For over a century, the accepted value for a firefly's brightness has mostly stood, tracing its origins to experiments carried out in 1912. Through rigorous new analysis published in the American Journal of Physics, David ...
New 200Gbps photodetector doubles optical reception capacity for data centers
Korean researchers have developed, for the first time in Korea, a 200Gbps-class photodetector device for use in hyperscale AI data centers and 5G/6G mobile communications infrastructure. The technology enables ultrahigh-speed ...
Optics & Photonics
Jul 13, 2026
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Secure glass containers for storing chemical waste through laser welding
As the adoption of electric vehicles continues to grow, so does the need for the safe and permanent storage of battery materials and industrial chemical waste. Certain waste streams require disposal in what are known as Category ...
Optics & Photonics
Jul 11, 2026
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Synthetic rotation brings black hole energy theory into lab, amplifying waves
More than half a century ago, Sir Roger Penrose envisioned a scenario in which energy could be extracted from a black hole spinning at extreme speeds. He proposed that a particle entering its ergosphere—a region of space ...
Optics & Photonics
Jul 11, 2026
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Quantum optics may turn this rare visual phenomenon into an eye test
Modern life depends on quantum physics. It makes technologies such as GPS navigation, MRI scanners and computer chips possible. Now, the same science may also lead to a new way to test the health of our eyes. A University ...
Optics & Photonics
Jul 9, 2026
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X-pinch plasma achieves radial proton acceleration for crisp imaging
Plasma pinches: From pursuits of nuclear fusion to an attractive point source of accelerated protons for proton radiography.
Optics & Photonics
Jul 8, 2026
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Wavelength-multiplexed diffractive optical storage enables massively parallel image retrieval
The explosive growth of data generated by artificial intelligence, cloud computing and modern digital infrastructure is placing increasing pressure on existing information storage technologies. Although magnetic storage systems ...
Optics & Photonics
Jul 8, 2026
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Using quantum entanglement to secure ground-to-satellite timing
From mobile phones and banking systems to aircraft, ships and emergency services, much of modern life relies on precise timing signals from satellites. Known as the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), satellites carrying ...
Optics & Photonics
Jul 7, 2026
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New ultrathin lens focuses light into an optical needle
Researchers have created a special flat lens that shapes light into an optical needle—a thin beam that stays tightly focused over a long distance. Combining this lens, which is about 7 microns thick, with optical coherence ...
Optics & Photonics
Jul 7, 2026
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Quantum computing: Laser-optical system offers full control over 2,000 trapped Rydberg atoms
Fraunhofer ILT in Aachen has developed a highly complex laser-optical system for a quantum computer currently under construction at the 5th Institute of Physics at the University of Stuttgart. This system enables 2,000 Rydberg ...
Optics & Photonics
Jul 6, 2026
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Optical writing of antiferromagnets points toward new storage devices and energy efficient information systems
A German-Japanese research team involving the University of Augsburg has made a significant breakthrough in the use of antiferromagnets. For the first time, the team has succeeded in writing magnetic information using only ...
Condensed Matter
Jul 4, 2026
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Plug-and-play single-photon source can work at room temperature
The Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) has developed a room-temperature single-photon source built into a compact 19-inch rack-mounted device that operates without cryogenic cooling. Designed as a plug-and-play ...
Optics & Photonics
Jul 3, 2026
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Ultrafast scanning tunneling microscopy reaches the quantum mechanical space-time limit for the first time
Werner Heisenberg's famous uncertainty principle describes one of the most intriguing features of quantum physics: certain pairs of physical quantities describing a particle, such as position and momentum, cannot simultaneously ...
Optics & Photonics
Jul 3, 2026
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Synchronized infrared lasers control molecular shape changes and expose hidden fingerprints
Researchers from the Molecular Physics and Physical Chemistry departments of the Fritz Haber Institute have shown how two highly synchronized infrared (IR) laser beams can control molecules as they switch between different ...
Optics & Photonics
Jul 2, 2026
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Diffractive networks enable optical information transfer through random and unknown diffusers
The transmission of optical information through random scattering media is a major challenge in optics, biomedical imaging, telecommunications and remote sensing. When light passes through a turbid or diffusive medium, such ...
Optics & Photonics
Jul 2, 2026
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Quantum properties of multimode light observed despite extreme losses
Quantum properties of light are extremely delicate. When researchers attempt to measure them, even small losses on the way to a detector can make them invisible, limiting their use outside carefully controlled environments. ...
Optics & Photonics
Jul 2, 2026
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Physicists demonstrate Hong–Ou–Mandel interference with more than 10 atoms
In a new study published in Nature Physics, researchers have demonstrated the Hong–Ou–Mandel (HOM) effect with up to 12 indistinguishable neutral atoms—an effect that has been predominantly observed in photonic systems.
More news
First-of-a-kind laser spring opens up new avenues for plasma control
Clean crystal surface lets single molecules hit ultimate quantum limit
Laser pulses capture unexplored polaronic states
Room-temperature laser hits record stability with 68-cm optical cavity
Scientists create optical skyrmions using a two-century-old light phenomenon
New breakthrough spots deadly methanol without opening bottles
Circular polarization could cut laser backscatter in fusion experiments
Superconducting TES array X-ray spectrometer goes into operation at BESSY II
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T. rex babies were born ready to run and feed themselves
Alien world chemistry found inside meteorite that struck New Jersey home
Scientists recover sub-Saharan Africa's oldest ancient animal DNA
Ultraviolet light uncovers the first known juveniles of a mysterious Jurassic fish family
Faster quantum computers can learn from their own mistakes
Scientists explain how nucleolus sub-compartments drive ribosome assembly
Epigenetic mechanism explains how some plants cope with salt stress
Ultrafast laser pulses reveal a material's hidden state of matter
Light-programmed system projects 28-layer 3D images in single shot
Achiral crystal reveals Raman optical activity through ferroaxial order
Physicists create first room-temperature quantum material
