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. Researchers at the University of Twente have developed an optical method that follows the shape changes of a single protein in liquid without attaching anything to it. It reads the protein's structure from its own molecular vibrations, free from the labels or tags that other techniques rely on. The method could help researchers study how proteins respond to drugs, toxins and other biomolecules. The paper is published in the journal ACS Nano. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-optical-method-proteins-shift.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 22 Jul 2026 15:20:01 EDT news703943222 Light can carry enormous amounts of information at extreme speeds, making photonic technologies promising for the development of faster communications, more powerful computing systems and more sensitive sensors. But for light to be useful for these purposes, engineers need to be able to control where it goes and redirect it quickly. A new device built by Caltech researchers uses a beam of light to steer another to a different angle in just 74 femtoseconds (74 quadrillionths of a second). That's about the time it takes light to travel the width of a human hair. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-chip-redirects-trillionth.html Nanophysics Tue, 07 Jul 2026 15:40:06 EDT news702648282 Scientists have developed a new type of "virtual" metasurface—capable of controlling light in ways traditional lenses and optics can't—which they say is superior to the current approach, which relies on ultrathin engineered materials. The Nottingham Trent University team says the work will help fully optimize metasurface potential for a range of real-world applications and paves the way for a move from physical to virtual platforms in nanotechnology. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-ultra-fast-technology-game-changer.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 25 Jun 2026 15:00:02 EDT news701617246 Researchers have developed a chip-based metasurface biosensor that can detect traumatic brain injury (TBI) biomarkers at extremely low levels. With further development, the technology could one day help doctors make a faster diagnosis after a head injury, helping to guide treatment and provide early warning when complications occur. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-based-sensors-extremely-traumatic-brain.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 23 Jun 2026 16:00:05 EDT news701439361 Experiments at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's National Ignition Facility (NIF) require breathtaking precision. Each of the 192 lasers is focused to a width of a few millimeters to enter a 3-millimeter hole at the top or bottom of a 2-centimeter (0.8-inch) gold canister known as a hohlraum. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-circular-polarization-laser-backscatter-fusion.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 18 Jun 2026 17:50:01 EDT news701019421 A new telescope technology—measuring just 6 millimeters (0.24 inches) in diameter—could improve how future space missions study and monitor the sun while simplifying onboard hardware and reducing costs. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-small-optical-component-telescopes-view.html Space Exploration Wed, 10 Jun 2026 14:00:02 EDT news700234792 The terahertz (THz) frequency regime, sitting between microwaves and infrared light, has long promised revolutionary advances in wireless communication, security imaging and nondestructive sensing. A key roadblock, however, has been the lack of compact, dynamically tunable components capable of manipulating THz beams on demand. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-dynamic-terahertz-wavefront-stretchable-walled.html Nanophysics Sun, 07 Jun 2026 15:40:02 EDT news699874604 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 Researchers from Monash University have developed a breakthrough nanoscale circuit that can generate, direct, and read light-based information, all on a single chip. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-tiny-chip-circuit-power-generation.html Nanophysics Tue, 26 May 2026 04:00:02 EDT news698662142 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 The task of gently transporting a microscopic particle from one point to another along a winding path, and then bringing it back using nothing more than a single, compact chip is a challenge we set out to address in our new study, now published in Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-optical-metaconveyors-enable-programmable-nanomanipulation.html Nanophysics Wed, 13 May 2026 18:00:02 EDT news697800686 A new type of hologram technology has been developed that uses the motion of light as a key, revealing information only under specific conditions. This is gaining attention as a novel approach that can simultaneously overcome the limitations of existing optical communication and security technologies. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-hologram-technology-key-enables-hard.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 06 May 2026 09:20:01 EDT news697276861 Reaching the nearest star system, Alpha Centauri, would take hundreds of thousands of years using current rocket propulsion technology. Researchers in the J. Mike Walker '66 Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University have demonstrated a new approach to light-driven motion, showing that lasers can be used to lift and steer objects in multiple directions without physical contact. This breakthrough may one day enable travel to Alpha Centauri within roughly 20 years. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-powered-propulsion-space-exploration-possibilities.html Space Exploration Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:20:09 EDT news696076861 Have you ever wished to drive microscopic matter along an arbitrarily tailored trajectory instead of just a circle? That's exactly what we set out to achieve. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-generalized-optical-meta-spanners-empower.html Optics & Photonics Sun, 19 Apr 2026 10:30:02 EDT news695642706 A collaborative research group has developed a fully automated roll-to-roll manufacturing platform capable of producing large-area visible metalenses at a rate of 300 units per second, marking a major breakthrough in translating metasurface technology from the laboratory to real-world industrial deployment. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-flat-optics-metalens-production.html Optics & Photonics Sat, 18 Apr 2026 08:00:04 EDT news695564946 Researchers at The University of Osaka, in collaboration with ULVAC, Inc. and Ritsumeikan University, have developed a new LED structure that generates circularly polarized light from a single chip. By combining a semipolar InGaN light-emitting structure with a stripe-shaped silicon nitride metasurface, the team created a compact light source that reduces energy-conversion loss and operates at room temperature. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-chip-advance-ar-glasses-boost.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 15 Apr 2026 16:40:06 EDT news695476992 Researchers from the Monash University School of Physics and Astronomy have flipped a long-held assumption in optics, showing that deliberately introducing controlled disorder into ultra-thin optical devices can dramatically increase their power and versatility, without making them bigger or more complex. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-scientists-mess-breakthrough-chaotic-generation.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 10 Apr 2026 14:40:03 EDT news695041098 Optical vortices—light beams carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM)—are characterized by helical wavefronts and phase singularities. While they have been widely studied in recent decades, two fundamental limitations have restricted their broader impact: generating large numbers of vortices simultaneously and achieving high peak power in such configurations. Until now, large vortex arrays have been limited to low-power systems, whereas high-power demonstrations have typically involved only single vortices. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-megawatt-optical-vortices-array.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 09 Apr 2026 18:20:06 EDT news694961373 Light can carry angular momentum in two distinct ways. One comes from polarization, which describes how the electric field rotates. The other comes from the shape of the wavefront itself, which can twist like a corkscrew as it travels. This second form, known as orbital angular momentum, has attracted wide interest because it allows light to encode information, interact with matter in new ways, and probe physical and biological systems. Despite this promise, producing well-defined twisted light in free space remains technically challenging, especially when the light originates from small or localized sources. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-chiral-metasurfaces-free-space.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:10:08 EDT news694195502 From 3D movie screens to augmented-reality devices, many modern technologies rely on our ability to manipulate light. Doing so in a cost-effective and efficient way, however, is often a formidable task. In an article published in Optics Letters, researchers from the University of Osaka announced a new light-emitting diode (LED) design that may help shrink complex optical systems into much smaller devices. The LED produces circularly polarized light using a built-in nanostructured surface, eliminating the need for bulky external optical components. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-tiny-power-generation-technology.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 26 Mar 2026 18:40:01 EDT news693754261 A new University of Mississippi study shows that some sound waves don't just move forward—they also move slightly to the side. Understanding this movement could help researchers develop more precise acoustic tools. Likun Zhang, associate professor of physics and astronomy and senior scientist at the National Center for Physical Acoustics, published his team's study on the behavior of spiral sound waves in Physical Review Letters. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-spiral-shift-sideways.html General Physics Tue, 10 Mar 2026 10:20:07 EDT news692351881 Electrical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated the fastest pyroelectric photodetector to date, which works by absorbing heat generated by incoming light. Capable of capturing light from the entire electromagnetic spectrum, the ultrathin device requires no external power, operates at room temperature and can be readily integrated into on-chip applications. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-thermal-photodetectors-shatters.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 04 Mar 2026 18:10:08 EST news691866001 Light is an unusually rich carrier of information. Its direction of travel, wavelength, and polarization can all be used to encode signals or images. Yet controlling these properties independently remains difficult, especially when light can enter a device from either side. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-mbius-surface.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 04 Mar 2026 10:00:06 EST news691838582 Atomically thin semiconductors such as tungsten disulfide (WS2) are promising materials for future photonic technologies. Despite being only a single layer of atoms thick, they host tightly bound excitons—pairs of electrons and holes that interact strongly with light—and can efficiently generate new colors of light through nonlinear optical processes such as second-harmonic generation. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-air-programmable-mie-voids-boost.html Nanophysics Mon, 02 Mar 2026 16:30:01 EST news691687622 Many cutting-edge technologies, ranging from augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to LiDAR (light detection and ranging) systems, rely on components that enable the precise control of light. These components include so-called spatial light modulators (SLMs), systems that dynamically adjust the position of a light wave within its cycle (i.e., phase), as well as its amplitude or direction across several pixels. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-metasurface-based-slm-ar-vr.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 27 Feb 2026 11:30:02 EST news691338427 Acoustic frequency combs organize sound or mechanical vibrations into a series of evenly spaced frequencies, much like the teeth on a comb. They are the acoustic counterparts of optical frequency combs, which consist of equally spaced spectral lines and act as extraordinarily precise rulers for measuring light. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-phonon-lasers-ultrabroadband-acoustic-frequency.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 20 Feb 2026 09:00:01 EST news690800132 Adjusting the size and chemistry of nanocrystals within an ultrathin surface can speed up light-driven chemical reactions, according to a University of Michigan Engineering study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. The new method works by matching the crystals' electronic rhythm to the internal vibrations of target molecules. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-tuned-nanocrystals-driven-reactions-molecular.html Nanophysics Tue, 17 Feb 2026 11:46:49 EST news690551162 Of the many feats achieved by artificial intelligence (AI), the ability to process images quickly and accurately has had an especially impressive impact on science and technology. Now, researchers in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis have found a way to improve the efficiency and capability of machine vision and AI diagnostics using optical systems instead of traditional digital algorithms. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-silicon-metasurfaces-boost-optical-image.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 12 Feb 2026 16:20:03 EST news690134258 Quantum technologies, devices and systems that process, store, detect, or transfer information leveraging quantum mechanical effects, have the potential to outperform classical technologies in a variety of tasks. An ongoing quest within quantum engineering is the realization of a so-called quantum internet: a network conceptually analogous to today's internet, in which distant nodes are linked through shared quantum resources, most notably quantum entanglement. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-ultra-thin-metasurface-generate-quantum.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 03 Feb 2026 07:50:05 EST news689252662