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Optics & Photonics news
Inexpensive material compresses light, paving the way for photonic microcircuits in the terahertz range
A two-dimensional lamellar crystal composed of atomically thin layers of lead iodide (PbI2) could be used to manufacture a new generation of circuits that use light and mechanical vibrations (rather than electrons) to transmit ...
Condensed Matter
10 hours ago
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Physicists have measured 'negative time' in the lab
As Homer tells us, Odysseus made an epic journey, against the odds, from Troy to his home in Ithaca. He visited many lands, but mostly dwelt with the nymph Calypso on her island. We can imagine that his wife, Penelope, would ...
Optics & Photonics
May 1, 2026
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A longstanding quantum roadblock just fell, opening existing fiber networks to ultra-secure light signals
Researchers at the Niels Bohr Institute have broken a longstanding barrier by managing to send single photons—that can't be copied or split and thus are secure—in the network of optical fibers we already have. This opens ...
Optics & Photonics
Apr 30, 2026
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Light unlocks full polarization control at ultrafast speeds, reshaping photonics
Scientists at Heriot‑Watt University have demonstrated in a world-first, that light can be used to control every aspect of how electromagnetic waves oscillate, opening new technological frontiers. Researchers working in photonics, ...
Optics & Photonics
Apr 30, 2026
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XXP instrument back online, marking a key milestone in high-energy upgrade to SLAC's X-ray laser
XPP, the X-ray Pump Probe instrument at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), is back online and welcoming researchers after a complete rebuild. The overhaul has readied XPP for the significant increase in X-ray output ...
Optics & Photonics
Apr 30, 2026
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Tiny flexible lasers enable force sensing inside living cells
Researchers have developed tiny flexible lasers that can be used to measure forces inside living cells. The new lasers could help illuminate various biological processes, including those involved in early development and ...
Optics & Photonics
Apr 29, 2026
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A new era for ultrafast photonics: 2D mercury-acetylide frameworks for near-infrared nonlinear optics
In the increasingly digital world, the demand for faster, more efficient and miniaturized optical devices is ever-growing. From high-speed internet and secure quantum communications to advanced medical imaging and precision ...
Optics & Photonics
Apr 29, 2026
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Light-responsive hydrogels enable fast and precise control of soft materials
Researchers at Tampere University have recently demonstrated that light can be used to precisely reshape soft materials without mechanical contact. They have developed light-responsive hydrogel thin films that enable programmable ...
Optics & Photonics
Apr 29, 2026
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Team develops modulator for compact photonic integrated circuits
Researchers at Skoltech have developed an ultra-compact electro-optic modulator based on silicon photonics and plasmonics that enables high-efficiency optical signal control within a small device footprint. The development ...
Optics & Photonics
Apr 28, 2026
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Light can now be shaped in empty space, and it could simplify sensing and boost data links
Scientists at the University of East Anglia have uncovered a hidden property of light that allows it to twist, spin and behave differently—without mirrors, materials or special lenses. In a breakthrough that could transform ...
Optics & Photonics
Apr 28, 2026
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Hidden stripe pattern lets microscopes auto-focus across 400 times deeper range
Anyone who has ever used a microscope knows that it takes time to bring a sample into sharp focus. Each time you move the slide, the image blurs, and you have to stop and carefully turn a knob to bring everything back into ...
Optics & Photonics
Apr 28, 2026
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A mechanical blue LED: Stretching GaN shifts light from UV to blue without changing chemistry
A research team from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has successfully used mechanical stretching technology to dynamically control the emission color of gallium nitride (GaN) material from ...
Condensed Matter
Apr 28, 2026
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This ultracold quantum device turns electricity into something far stranger that could unlock sound-based lasers
Researchers at McGill University have developed a novel device that generates sound-like particles known as phonons at extremely cold temperatures. The technology could be used to create phonon lasers, with possible applications ...
Optics & Photonics
Apr 27, 2026
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Single X-ray photons reveal hidden light-matter interactions in 50-nanometer double slits
A rainbow reveals with colors what otherwise remains hidden: light is "refracted" by transparent matter, in this case water droplets. This same physical effect underlies many everyday technologies, like LCD screens and broadband ...
Optics & Photonics
Apr 27, 2026
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Neural network speeds tuning of attosecond light pulses for physics experiments
Researchers from Skoltech and the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics have developed an approach that helps optimize the parameters of a laser-plasma source of attosecond pulses—ultrashort flashes of light used ...
General Physics
Apr 27, 2026
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Self-organizing 'pencil beam' laser could help scientists design brain-targeted therapies
MIT researchers discovered a paradoxical phenomenon in optical physics that could enable a new bioimaging method that's faster and higher-resolution than existing technology. They discovered that, under the right conditions, ...
Optics & Photonics
Apr 27, 2026
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Gravity's subtle effect on light could improve groundwater, volcano and carbon storage monitoring
A study by University of Wollongong (UOW) physicist Dr. Enbang Li has demonstrated that gravity can subtly influence the behavior of light, a breakthrough that could underpin future technologies for monitoring groundwater, ...
General Physics
Apr 24, 2026
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Quantum 'dark modes' no longer block phonon control, opening new paths for scalable devices
Three RIKEN researchers have demonstrated a way to stop problematic "dark modes" from squelching intriguing effects in quantum systems. This advance could help with the development of more versatile quantum devices that can ...
Optics & Photonics
Apr 24, 2026
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One-way phonon synchronization could survive noise and defects, theoretical physicists suggest
A novel approach for realizing the one-way quantum synchronization of phonons has been proposed by three theoretical physicists at RIKEN. Importantly, this method is remarkably resilient against practical challenges such ...
Optics & Photonics
Apr 24, 2026
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How electron structure affects light responses in moiré materials
In materials science, if you can understand the "texture" of a material—how its internal patterns form and shift—you can begin to design how it behaves. That's the focus of the work of Zhenglu Li, assistant professor in the ...
Condensed Matter
Apr 24, 2026
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Megawatt structured light arrives with 3,070 optical vortices in one array
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Watermelon super-pangenome paves the way for precision breeding
