https://phys.org/physics-news/optics-photonics/ en-us The latest news on Optics and Photonics Ultrafast lasers emit pulses lasting only a few hundred femtoseconds (quadrillionths of a second). These flashes of light power applications from precision micromachining to eye surgery to optical frequency combs, the Nobel Prize-winning technology behind today's most precise optical atomic clocks. Yet despite more than two decades of effort, ultrafast lasers have largely remained bulky, expensive systems confined to optical tables. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-ultrafast-laser-chip-scale-potentially.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 03 Jun 2026 11:00:26 EDT news699637261 In nature, there exist structures that are mirror images of each other but cannot be perfectly superimposed. These are known as chiral objects, derived from the Greek word for "hand," since left and right hands share the same relationship. Although similar in structure, chiral molecules exhibit different behaviors, and chirality is central to life itself. DNA has a twisted chiral structure, and living organisms prefer one handedness over the other. This distinction is equally important in drug design, materials science, and nanotechnology. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-terahertz-imaging-spatial-chirality-materials.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 02 Jun 2026 21:00:01 EDT news699612187 By definition, elementary particles can't be broken into smaller pieces. But in a new theoretical study published in Physical Review Letters, Johannes Skaar and colleagues have revealed what would happen if you tried anyway for a single photon. The answer is deeply strange: attempting to cut a photon in two wouldn't produce two smaller photons, but instead conjure an infinite number of them out of thin air. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-photon-infinite-swarm-particles.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 02 Jun 2026 10:20:08 EDT news699613528 Laser systems operating in the 2-micrometer wavelength range open diverse opportunities in medical technology, agriculture, and plastics processing. In the Eurostars project DECOMP, Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. (LZH) has developed novel fiber optic components that overcome previous technical barriers. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-fiber-optic-components-enable-high.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 01 Jun 2026 17:20:04 EDT news699552061 Quantum entanglement is a state in which particles are entwined with each other. In this entwined state, the properties of one particle influence the other, even when they aren't physically close to each other. This phenomenon has often been observed in small quantum systems with only a few particles in them, where researchers can use it to store and process quantum information. Rice University professor Qimiao Si is interested in understanding and applying quantum entanglement to macroscopic systems with vast numbers of particles. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-entangle-easily-quantum-critical.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 01 Jun 2026 16:00:04 EDT news699547479 Nonlinear interactions between light and matter are at the heart of some of the most powerful tools in modern optics, but pushing these processes to their limits has long been hampered by a fundamental constraint: the stronger you make the laser, the more likely it is to destroy whatever it illuminates. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-quantum-boost-ultrafast-laser.html Optics & Photonics Sat, 30 May 2026 13:00:02 EDT news699017292 A research team from HKU Engineering has pioneered a fundamentally new imaging strategy known as AIMED (Arbitrary illumination microscopy with encoded depth), which utilizes a sub-sampling approach. By integrating innovations in axial optical encoding with advanced computational image reconstruction, the AIMED technology enables a substantial increase in 3D imaging speed while enhancing photon safety, all with minimal additional system complexity. This breakthrough demonstrates significant advantages across efficiency, image quality, and system compatibility. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-axial-encoding-eightfold-faster-3d.html Optics & Photonics Sat, 30 May 2026 08:00:06 EDT news698933991 A research group led by Assistant Professor Takafumi Tomita and Professor Kenji Ohmori at the Institute for Molecular Science, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, has developed a new microscopy technique called the Atom Camera, which uses a single ultracold atom at near absolute zero temperature trapped in an optical tweezer as a camera to visualize the intensity and polarization distributions of light at the nanometer (one-millionth of a millimeter) scale. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-atom-camera-laser-nanoscale-ultracold.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 29 May 2026 05:00:02 EDT news699205861 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 Physicists from Emory University have led work to develop a microscopic, nonlinear light source that can be switched on, off or tuned to a particular intensity by an electrical "knob." The paper is published in the journal Optica, and could aid in the design of smaller, more flexible technologies for communications, sensing and quantum computing. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-electrical-knob-tune-intensity-nanoscale.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 28 May 2026 17:50:01 EDT news699207961 Researchers at TU/e have demonstrated that energy transfer without loss via light or heat can occur over much greater distances than previously thought possible thanks to vibrations in microscopic gold rods. They succeeded in making energy jump from one particle to another over a distance of several millimeters without "spilling" energy along the way. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-fundamental-limit-energy-particles.html General Physics Wed, 27 May 2026 18:00:06 EDT news699117002 Spectroscopy has many applications, ranging from fundamental tests of quantum electrodynamics and investigations of molecular structure to environmental sensing, biomedical diagnostics and industrial monitoring. A highly promising spectroscopic instrument that has the potential to transform the field has emerged over the years: the dual-comb spectrometer, which relies on the interference of two mode-locked ultrafast lasers that produce broad frequency combs composed of evenly spaced narrow spectral lines. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-dual-spectroscopy-reshape-precision.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 26 May 2026 12:00:04 EDT news699014421 Researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) have developed a new procedure, enabling them to speed up elaborate computer simulations that analyze matter under extreme conditions. In particular, this work improves the evaluation of experiments at large-scale research facilities like the European XFEL—and should facilitate substantial progress, among others, in fusion research and laboratory astrophysics. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-imaginary-technique-ray-simulations-extreme.html Condensed Matter Tue, 26 May 2026 10:20:02 EDT news699003482 Flashes of femtosecond laser light, lasting just a few trillionths of a second, have made it possible to observe new magnetic structures for the first time. By using light as a remote control, researchers were able to switch magnetism into previously unseen three-dimensional states at the nanoscale. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-threedimensional-magnetic-laser.html Condensed Matter Mon, 25 May 2026 17:00:01 EDT news698942462 Solar panels have become more efficient over the years, but even the best designs still lose a large fraction of the energy they absorb. Scientists around the world have been searching for ways to capture more energy from every ray of sunlight and unlock the true potential of solar technology. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-supercharging-solar-cells-quantum-dot.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 25 May 2026 14:00:02 EDT news698932861 When a singer belts out a tune while a guitar player strums along, sound waves travel through the air, driving collective oscillations of the molecules within. Meanwhile, at the quantum level, something similar is going on. Atoms inside materials, everything from our bodies to metals and more, naturally jiggle around, creating tiny vibrational waves that ripple across the material. These vibrations are known as phonons: the quantum version of sound waves. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-tuning-quantum-acoustic-devices-sensors.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 25 May 2026 11:40:02 EDT news698925147 Being able to see light and detect radiation is of utmost importance at any frequency. While this challenge has been solved in the visible range, radiation detectors in the far-infrared and terahertz regimes are either not sensitive, slow, or require bulky and expensive, often cryogenically cooled devices, which hinders practical applications. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-quantum-metasurface-boosts-terahertz-sensitivity.html Optics & Photonics Sat, 23 May 2026 11:00:02 EDT news698679842 When we think about highly sensitive medical testing, we often imagine a hospital laboratory filled with large instruments, trained technicians, and carefully controlled conditions. This is especially true for optical biosensing, where scientists try to detect extremely small changes caused by biomolecules binding to a sensor surface. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-based-sensor-ultrasensitive-disease-portable.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 21 May 2026 17:40:01 EDT news698499656 Like so much else in nature, the human visual system has both a complex structure and functional efficiency that is difficult for scientists to replicate. The system is both a sensor and a processor, with the eyes and the brain working together to resolve images with less energy use than anything people have invented. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-optoelectronic-synapse-exceptional-photoresponse-neuromorphic.html Condensed Matter Wed, 20 May 2026 17:20:03 EDT news698508661 Researchers from the Institut des NanoSciences de Paris, the Kastler Brossel Laboratory and the University of Glasgow have developed an innovative method that renders a scattering medium transparent solely for information carried by entangled photon pairs, while the same medium remains completely opaque to classical light. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-quantum-key-chaos.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 20 May 2026 14:20:01 EDT news698498041 In the HiPEQ project, a consortium of industry and research partners has developed new laser-based approaches to enable miniaturized, robust beam sources for quantum technology. Among others, the consortium also used lasers to grow novel optical insulator crystals. The project achieved significant progress from November 2021 to July 2025. Fraunhofer ILT in Aachen played a key role by co-developing the laser processes needed. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-laser-enable-robust-miniaturized-sources.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 19 May 2026 17:40:04 EDT news698424181 Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have developed a novel image projection system that delivers super-resolution images over an extended depth of field. By combining a neural network-based digital encoder with a passive all-optical diffractive decoder, the system drastically compresses image data for efficient transmission of image information. This platform operates without extra power at the decoding stage, promising advancements for next-generation virtual and augmented reality displays. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-hybrid-projector-super-resolution-images.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 19 May 2026 16:20:07 EDT news698418721 Quantum technologies promise powerful new kinds of computers, giving scientists new tools to mimic and explore nature at its tiniest scales. At those levels, everything in nature—from atoms and electrons to light itself—follows the strange rules of quantum mechanics. But the real world is never perfectly clean: Signals fade, energy leaks away and systems pick up noise from their surroundings. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-chip-quantum-imperfections.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 19 May 2026 14:43:08 EDT news698420424 The rapid growth of large language models is placing increasing demands on data centers, where large volumes of data must be transferred efficiently between servers. Optical interconnects are essential for enabling this communication, but as data rates continue to rise, these systems must deliver higher bandwidth while maintaining low latency and energy efficiency. However, integrating electronic and photonic components remains challenging, as conventional approaches often introduce signal loss, limit interconnect density, and restrict scalability. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-reconfigurable-ge-si-photodetector-ultrahigh.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 18 May 2026 18:50:01 EDT news698344321 Modern energy demands are soaring as technologies like AI and IoT become more common, and researchers have been working hard to develop hardware that can keep up. Now, a team of researchers from the University of Tokyo has developed an ultrafast and energy-efficient nonvolatile switching device, described in an article published in the journal Science, that may soon be able to significantly reduce power consumption for high-energy demand technologies. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-ultrafast-device-power-optical-electrical.html Condensed Matter Mon, 18 May 2026 16:20:03 EDT news698335116 Chinese scientists have developed a programmable quantum computing prototype called Jiuzhang 4.0 that has set a new world record for optical quantum information technology, according to a study published May 13 in the journal Nature. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-prototype-optical-quantum-technology.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 18 May 2026 11:40:05 EDT news698320684 Researchers at UNSW Sydney have developed a nanoscale device that converts low-energy infrared and red light into higher-energy visible light, a breakthrough that could eventually improve solar panels, sensing technologies, and advanced manufacturing systems. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-infrared-boost-solar-panels-night.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 18 May 2026 10:40:01 EDT news698315208 In recent years, atomically thin materials—crystals only a few atoms thick—have attracted growing attention because they can exhibit physical properties that do not appear in conventional bulk materials. Among them, atomically thin magnetic materials are particularly intriguing, as they can host unconventional magnetic states and offer new possibilities for spin-based electronic technologies. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-bilayer-antiferromagnet-reveals-photocurrent-flips.html Condensed Matter Mon, 18 May 2026 05:00:35 EDT news698069701 Pairs of correlated or entangled photons are a foundational resource in quantum optics. They are most commonly produced through spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC), a nonlinear optical process that typically relies on a stable, coherent laser to pump a nonlinear crystal. Because of this requirement, SPDC has long been viewed as impractical without laboratory-grade laser systems. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-sunlight-powered-generation-photon-pairs.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 15 May 2026 13:40:05 EDT news698069042 Eighty years ago, Penn researchers J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly launched the age of electronic computing by harnessing electrons to solve complex numerical problems with ENIAC, the world's first general-purpose electronic computer. Today, that same architecture still underlies general computing, but electrons are beginning to show their limits. Because they carry a charge, they lose energy as heat, encounter resistance as they move through materials, and become harder to manage as chips incorporate more transistors and handle larger volumes of data. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-physicists-hybrid-particles-interact-strongly.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 15 May 2026 12:24:39 EDT news698066591