https://phys.org/physics-news/optics-photonics/ en-us The latest news on Optics and Photonics 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 of objects that are otherwise hidden from view. However, the flow of these natural particles is far too slow for the technique to become both fast and reliable in practical settings. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-laser-muons-images-dense.html General Physics Wed, 30 Sep 2026 09:20:01 EDT news709897836 Researchers at AIST have developed a device that measures the absolute surface profile of curved optical elements with high precision without touching them. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-device-mirrors-absolute-nanometers.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 29 Sep 2026 16:40:12 EDT news709915141 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. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-rotating-pattern-reveals-laser-frequency.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 29 Sep 2026 11:40:10 EDT news709897261 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 that has been bugging satellites for years. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-quantum-boldly-space.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 28 Sep 2026 14:40:01 EDT news709820802 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, you generally need to replace a component, rewire the system or manufacture a new one. For example, every time you ask a large language model like ChatGPT or Claude a question, many electrical signals race through computer chips, carrying information and performing calculations. This takes energy, and lots of it. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-laser-temporarily-reprograms-ultrathin-optical.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 28 Sep 2026 13:00:13 EDT news709812601 A new graph-theoretic framework provides a unified description of atom-light interactions across regimes ranging from weak to deep-strong coupling. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-atom-interaction-uncovers-unbounded-network.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 28 Sep 2026 09:40:10 EDT news709805821 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 (CUNY ASRC) shows that waves can behave very differently when they travel through a special class of materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-chaos-oddly-cavity.html General Physics Mon, 28 Sep 2026 05:00:03 EDT news709561441 Quantum photonics could be a pivotal part of future quantum technology if the right materials can be created, a new review paper has found. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ultrathin-materials-quantum-circuits-programmable.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 25 Sep 2026 15:40:01 EDT news709554121 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 quantum realm, looking for an efficient way to exchange quantum rather than classical information: qubits instead of bits. The motivation is not just scientific curiosity. Qubits can be a 0, a 1 or any superposition of the two. They can also become entangled, showing a degree of correlation that is out of reach for classical bits. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-rephasing-quantum-memories-photon-states.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 25 Sep 2026 13:10:01 EDT news709556304 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 work similarly. To move against a stream of light, an object or particle, like a photon, must either have an external force acting on it or actively use energy to move upstream. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-upstream-quantum-fluid-violating-newton.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 22 Sep 2026 16:10:02 EDT news709310548 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 locations. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-scientists-teleport-quantum-states-parallel.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 21 Sep 2026 11:20:06 EDT news709207814 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 possible to tune the frequency continuously. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ray-guitar-music-frequencies-harmonics.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 21 Sep 2026 09:40:08 EDT news709201204 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 efficiently perform the ever-increasing tasks required for fully integrated optical systems. A heterogeneous photonic integration platform capable of interfacing different optical materials with high performance is thus an ongoing challenge for both academia and industry. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-photonic-legos-functional-3d-thin.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 21 Sep 2026 06:40:01 EDT news708945868 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 a material's electronic band structure (i.e., the range of energy states available to electrons), potentially giving rise to new electronic behaviors. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-electrons-graphene-transient-topological-state.html Condensed Matter Sat, 19 Sep 2026 15:20:01 EDT news708945827 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 the development of various technologies, including non-volatile, low-power memory devices, spintronic devices, miniaturized electronics, neuromorphic hardware, sensors and magnetoelectric devices. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-stacked-2d-materials-reveal-room.html Condensed Matter Fri, 18 Sep 2026 09:20:02 EDT news708775129 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 that could one day link quantum computers through optical networks. The research, titled "Microwave-to-optical transduction using magnon–exciton coupling," was led by the Laboratory for Nano and Micro Photonics (LaNMP) at CCNY, headed by physics professor Vinod M. Menon. It appears in the journal Nature Materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-bridge-quantum-networks-physicists-microwaves.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 17 Sep 2026 16:30:01 EDT news708880082 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 experiments can take months to run, requiring scientists to meticulously angle and adjust delicate light sources, mirrors, cameras and other components in a process of careful, constant tuning that can be physically tedious and time-consuming. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-robotic-lab-optics-demand.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 17 Sep 2026 10:40:27 EDT news708854343 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 provide a portable and easy-to-use way to map the molecular makeup of tissues and other samples. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-handheld-scanner-lab-quality-chemical.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 17 Sep 2026 10:00:24 EDT news708794521 Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland have uncovered two complementary mechanisms that govern coherence in miniaturized lasers composed of metallic nanoparticle arrays incorporated into an optical gain material, also known as plasmonic lattice lasers. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-dual-reveal-coherence-plasmonic-nanolasers.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:40:01 EDT news708767282 A research team at the Institute of Applied Physics at TU Darmstadt has shown for the first time that atoms that are completely disordered and in constant motion can nevertheless emit jointly directed light preferentially in one direction—even though neither the atoms nor their environment exhibit a direction—and that the strength of this asymmetry can be specifically adjusted. The paper is published in the journal Physical Review Letters. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-disordered-atoms-pulses-motion.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 15 Sep 2026 17:00:08 EDT news708696958 Extremely short, intense light flashes are in high demand to investigate atoms, molecules and new materials. Free-electron lasers (FELs) produce these flashes. But around the world, beam time available at large-scale user facilities is in short supply, and waiting times are long. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-speedy-electrons-brilliant-laser-paves.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 14 Sep 2026 13:00:08 EDT news708602569 The vast majority of modern quantum technologies—from quantum cryptography to the quantum internet to the quantum computer—rely on one essential element: the transmission of photons. Two qubits (two atoms, for example) exchange information: One qubit emits a photon, and the other qubit absorbs it. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-photons-reliable-quantum-communication.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 14 Sep 2026 12:20:06 EDT news708602102 Quantum computers promise to tackle problems that are extraordinarily difficult for today's computers. But there is a major obstacle: quantum systems are notoriously fragile. Noise, loss and even tiny disturbances can destroy the delicate behavior that gives them their power. Building systems with many quantum particles is also extremely challenging. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-physicists-classical-quantum-machine.html Optics & Photonics Sat, 12 Sep 2026 10:00:01 EDT news708268816 Within tiny halos of light clinging to a vanishingly thin wisp of optical fiber, scientist Jongmin Lee guides atoms like marbles through a narrow pipe. Rock the fiber and the atoms shift side by side; they just don't fall off. But don't be deceived by the seemingly delicate nature of his experiment. Lee is exploring how to measure motion precisely in rough-and-tumble environments. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-tightly-atoms-enable-power-quantum.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 10 Sep 2026 15:40:10 EDT news708260101 Tiny manufacturing imperfections in optical components normally go unnoticed. Yet they can alter light in surprisingly significant ways. An international research team led by TU Darmstadt has shown that such imperfections can affect not only polarization—the direction in which light oscillates—but also the spatial shape of a light beam. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-hidden-optical-imperfections.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 10 Sep 2026 13:00:03 EDT news708254521 Helium—the lightest atom that can be laser-cooled and controlled—powers a new design for high-powered, stable quantum computers. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-helium-quantum-concept-faster-tunneling.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 08 Sep 2026 17:20:01 EDT news708100202 Atoms in a material are rarely still. They jiggle back and forth in collective lattice vibrations known as phonons. Their motion can also carry a rotational element: In 2023, scientists at PSI experimentally proved the existence of chiral phonons, which exhibit handedness depending on which way they rotate. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-reversible-electric-persistent-chiral-phonon.html Condensed Matter Mon, 07 Sep 2026 14:00:07 EDT news707998681 Researchers at Lund University have developed a new type of light-emitting diode based on thin, branched nanowires that could offer significantly higher efficiency and lower production costs than current technology. By controlling where in the structure the light is generated, the researchers have reduced the losses that would otherwise limit the amount of light that can be used. Their study is published in the journal Nano Research. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-significant-efficiency-gains.html Condensed Matter Fri, 04 Sep 2026 18:00:02 EDT news707748782 Detecting radiation is key to technologies ranging from particle accelerators and scientific instruments to medical imaging and security screening. But current detectors must often make trade-offs, providing signals that are strong but slow or fast but weak. The trade-off between signal strength and speed can limit precision detection. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ultrafast-electrons-lasers-reveal-unexpectedly.html Condensed Matter Fri, 04 Sep 2026 12:40:06 EDT news707738641 A new study has demonstrated that it is possible to make a network of atoms and photons that could improve how artificial intelligence stores and recalls memories. This network, called a quantum-optical spin glass, works as an associative memory, a form of AI that enables the recall of full memories from partial information—much like how humans can recognize a person's face in a blurred photograph. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-quantum-optical-glass-ai.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 03 Sep 2026 14:00:01 EDT news707657764