https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Supercontinuum light sources—often called "white lasers" because they emit a broad, continuous rainbow of colors—are essential tools for everything from advanced medical imaging to environmental gas detection. However, researchers have historically faced a frustrating trade-off: A broad spectrum comes at the expense of high fluctuations, which has effectively limited their use. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-elegant-modification-range-noise-white.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 06 Aug 2026 19:00:03 EDT news705252541 For most theories in physics, the order of operations has little impact on the result. When setting a dial to a certain position, for example, it doesn't matter whether it's turned clockwise or counterclockwise—the result will always be the same. Yet for non-Abelian gauge theories, order does matter. These theories underpin the Standard Model, but to test their more subtle predictions, researchers have so far relied on enormous particle accelerators. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-complex-field-physics-tabletop-photonic.html General Physics Wed, 29 Jul 2026 11:20:04 EDT news704539586 Integrated photonic devices—tiny circuits that use light instead of electrons—are becoming increasingly important for scalable photonics technologies and high-bandwidth communications. They are particularly valuable for managing low-power, light-based data transfer inside data centers, which are needed for artificial intelligence, cloud computing and high-performance signal processing. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-highly-tunable-electro-optic-isolator.html Condensed Matter Mon, 27 Jul 2026 14:00:05 EDT news704371862 An extremely fast microscopy method to research the interaction of light and matter makes it possible to study optical processes on very short timescales. To this end, a German–Italian research team is combining holographic imaging with ultrafast spectroscopy in an innovative way. In this manner, even extremely short-lived electronic and magnetic phenomena—which play a major role in the development and application of novel energy materials—can be observed. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-ultrafast-holographic-imaging-reveals-electron.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 28 May 2026 19:10:02 EDT news699206941 Liquid crystals are an integral part of modern technology, ranging from displays to advanced sensory systems. In a study published in Scientific Reports, researchers from the Institute of Experimental Physics of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (IEP SAS) in Košice, in collaboration with international partners, have demonstrated how minute changes in material composition can achieve precise control over behavior in electric and magnetic fields. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-hidden-threshold-enables-tunable-liquid.html Soft Matter Fri, 15 May 2026 15:00:04 EDT news698072581 Optical frequency combs—laser sources that emit evenly spaced colors of light—are foundational, ubiquitous tools for precision measurement, found in optical clocks, gas-sensing spectrometers, and instruments that detect the light signatures of exoplanets. Traditionally, frequency combs are produced by large, fiber-laser systems ranging from the size of a shoebox to a refrigerator. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-roadmap.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 16 Mar 2026 18:50:01 EDT news692898001 Applied physicists in the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have discovered a new way to generate ultra-precise, evenly spaced "combs" of laser light on a photonic chip, a breakthrough that could miniaturize optical platforms like spectroscopic sensors or communication systems. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-chip-scale-microcomb-lithium-niobate.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 19 Feb 2026 15:20:06 EST news690736247 Imagine a "smart fluid" whose internal structure can be rearranged just by changing temperature. In a new study published in Matter, researchers report a way to overcome a long-standing limitation in a class of "smart fluids" called nematic liquid crystal microcolloids, allowing for reconfigurable self-assembly of micrometer-sized particles dispersed in a nematic liquid crystal host. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-smart-fluid-reconfigured-temperature.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 17 Feb 2026 12:20:23 EST news690553201 Researchers at DTU have developed a nanolaser that could be the key to much faster and much more energy-efficient computers, phones, and data centers. The technology offers the prospect of thousands of the new lasers being placed on a single microchip, thus opening a digital future where data is no longer transmitted using electrical signals, but using light particles, photons. The invention has been published in the journal Science Advances. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-nanolaser-chip-energy.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 12 Feb 2026 15:05:33 EST news690131101 In a recent study, researchers from China have developed a chip-scale LiDAR system that mimics the human eye's foveation by dynamically concentrating high-resolution sensing on regions of interest (ROIs) while maintaining broad awareness across the full field of view. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-bionic-lidar-retinal-resolution-focusing.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 21 Jan 2026 07:30:03 EST news688146130 In a study published in Nature Methods on December 2, a research team led by Profs. Xu Tao and Ji Wei from the Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a three-dimensional interferometric localization microscope called repetitive optical selective exposure in 3D (ROSE-3D), achieving camera-based isotropic nanoscale resolution in 3D. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-rose-3d-advances-isotropic-super.html Biotechnology Tue, 16 Dec 2025 12:00:01 EST news685108331 The knots in your shoelaces are familiar, but can you imagine knots made from light, water, or from the structured fluids that make LCD screens shine? https://phys.org/news/2025-12-scientists-stable-switchable-vortex-liquid.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 15 Dec 2025 16:00:04 EST news685036206 Researchers have made a major advance in quantum computing with a new device that is nearly 100 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-tiny-optical-modulator-enable-giant.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 11 Dec 2025 16:46:37 EST news684693961 Researchers from TU Delft and Radboud University (The Netherlands) have discovered that the two-dimensional ferroelectric material CuInP₂S₆ (CIPS) can be used to control the pathway and properties of blue and ultraviolet light like no other material can. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-material-blue-ultraviolet-advanced-chipmaking.html Condensed Matter Tue, 09 Dec 2025 17:50:02 EST news684517303 In a discovery shaped by more than a decade of steady, incremental effort rather than a dramatic breakthrough, scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and their collaborators demonstrated that great ideas flourish when paired with patience. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-decade-lanthanide-nanocrystals-illuminate-possibilities.html Nanomaterials Thu, 20 Nov 2025 11:05:04 EST news682859101 At 4 degrees Kelvin, most electro-optic materials falter. Nanoelectronics R&D center imec has now successfully engineered thin-film strontium titanate (SrTiO₃) that delivers record electro-optic performance with low optical loss, pointing to shorter, faster building blocks for quantum devices. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-thin-strontium-titanate-electro-optic.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 04 Nov 2025 11:20:04 EST news681477601 LEDs, or light-emitting diodes, are essential components in near-eye displays like virtual reality and augmented reality headsets and smart glasses, along with electronics like cameras and medical equipment. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-ac-dc-nano-vr-headsets.html Nanophysics Tue, 04 Nov 2025 11:00:01 EST news681397021 Superconductivity and quantum computing are two fields that have seeped from theoretical circles into popular consciousness. The 2025 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded for work in superconducting quantum circuits that could drive ultra-powerful computers. But what may be less well known is that these promising technologies are often possible only at cryogenic temperatures—near absolute zero. Unfortunately, few materials can handle such extremes. Their cherished physical properties disappear when the chill is on. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-common-crystal-ideal-temperature-technology.html Condensed Matter Thu, 23 Oct 2025 17:14:03 EDT news680458441 For the first time, a team at BESSY II has succeeded in demonstrating the one-dimensional electronic properties of a material through a highly refined experimental process. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-phosphorus-chains-display-true-1d.html Nanophysics Tue, 21 Oct 2025 16:03:50 EDT news680281424 Researchers at University of Tsukuba have successfully measured electric fields near the surfaces of two-dimensional layered materials with femtosecond temporal and nanometer spatial resolution. They employed a diamond containing a nitrogen-vacancy center—a lattice defect—as a probe within an atomic force microscope, enabling atomic-scale spatial precision. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-diamond-probe-ultrafast-electric-fields.html Condensed Matter Mon, 20 Oct 2025 11:21:03 EDT news680178061 Metasurfaces are two-dimensional (2D), nanoengineered surfaces that interact strongly with electromagnetic waves and can control light with remarkable precision. These ultra-thin layers can be used to develop a wide range of advanced technologies, including optical photonic, sensing and communication systems. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-hybrid-metasurface-modulates-voltages-energy.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 20 Oct 2025 06:30:01 EDT news679928445 A new twist on a classic material could advance quantum computing and make modern data centers more energy efficient, according to a team led by researchers at Penn State. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-school-material-power-quantum-center.html Condensed Matter Thu, 16 Oct 2025 16:30:04 EDT news679851002 Imagine the benefits if the entire internet got a game-changing upgrade to speed and security. This is the promise of the quantum internet—an advanced system that uses single photons to operate. Researchers at Tohoku University have developed a new photonic router that can direct single and quantum entangled photons with unprecedented levels of efficiency. This advancement in quantum optics brings us closer to quantum networks and next-generation photonic quantum technologies becoming an everyday reality. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-routing-photonic-entanglement-quantum-internet.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 24 Sep 2025 08:50:03 EDT news677922601 Excitons, bound states between an electron (i.e., a negatively charged particle) and a hole (i.e., the absence of an electron) in materials, are a key focus of condensed matter physics studies. These bound states can give rise to interesting and uncommon quantum physical effects, which could be leveraged to develop optoelectronic and quantum technologies. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-hybridization-interlayer-excitons-bilayer-semiconductor.html Condensed Matter Sat, 20 Sep 2025 09:20:02 EDT news677331161 A new study has successfully demonstrated the confinement of terahertz (THz) light to nanoscale dimensions using a new type of layered material. This could lead to improvements in optoelectronic devices such as infrared emitters used in remote controls and night vision and terahertz optics desired for physical security and environmental sensing. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-layered-material-successfully-confines-terahertz.html Condensed Matter Mon, 15 Sep 2025 17:19:04 EDT news677175541 A photonics research group co-led by Gregor Weihs of the University of Innsbruck has developed a new technique for generating multi-photon states from quantum dots that overcomes the limitations of conventional approaches. This has immediate applications in secure quantum key distribution protocols, where it can enable simultaneous secure communication with different parties. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-quantum-dot-technique-multi-photon.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 11 Aug 2025 16:22:03 EDT news674148121 Konstantin Vodopyanov, a professor at the College of Sciences and CREOL, the College of Optics and Photonics, recently co-authored a study published in the journal Optica. This research examines electro-optic sampling (EOS), a technique that advances fields such as quantum physics, molecular spectroscopy and biomedical sensing. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-electro-optic-sampling-insights-quantum.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 15 May 2025 16:57:03 EDT news666547021 A research team led by Professor Takayuki Hoshino of Nagoya University's Graduate School of Engineering in Japan has demonstrated the world's smallest shooting game by manipulating nanoparticles in real time, resulting in a game that is played with particles approximately 1 billionth of a meter in size. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-world-smallest-video-game-nanoscale.html Nanophysics Wed, 26 Feb 2025 11:41:03 EST news659792461 From integrated photonics to quantum information science, the ability to control light with electric fields—a phenomenon known as the electro-optic effect—supports vital applications such as light modulation and frequency transduction. These components rely on nonlinear optical materials, in which light waves can be manipulated by applying electric fields. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-illuminates-path-superior-electro-optic.html Condensed Matter Tue, 25 Feb 2025 16:11:08 EST news659722252 Researchers have developed a novel experimental platform to measure the electric fields of light trapped between two mirrors with a sub-cycle precision. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-invisible-electro-optic-cavities.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 13 Feb 2025 00:44:22 EST news658629855