A twist on thin-film technology may provide a way to optically detect and analyze multiple substances simultaneously, leading to quicker diagnostics in such industries as health care and homeland security, according to Penn ...
Engineering
Mar 12, 2013
0
0
(Phys.org) —In January, the last of 150 magnet girders was installed in the storage ring of the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), capping off a tremendous yearlong effort in which 843 magnets were safely delivered, ...
General Physics
Mar 7, 2013
0
0
Using the geometric and material properties of a unique nanostructure, Boston College researchers have uncovered a novel photonic effect where surface plasmons interact with light to form "plasmonic halos" of selectable output ...
Nanophysics
Feb 7, 2013
0
0
Iridescence, or sheen that shifts color depending on your viewing angle, is pretty in peacock feathers. But it's been a nuisance for engineers trying to mimic the birds' unique color mechanism to make high-resolution, reflective, ...
Optics & Photonics
Feb 5, 2013
0
0
(Phys.org)—The way electrons move within and between molecules, transferring energy as they go, plays an important role in many chemical and biological processes, such as the conversion of sunlight to energy in photosynthesis ...
General Physics
Jan 31, 2013
0
0
Optical communications, or photonics, technology has failed to match the miniaturization of electronic components, mainly because of fundamental laws of classical optics. The smallest photonic devices are limited to sizes ...
Optics & Photonics
Jan 30, 2013
0
0
(Phys.org)—A team of scientists from Scotland and the Czech Republic has created a real-life "tractor" beam, as featured in the Star Trek movies, which for the first time allows a beam of light to attract objects.
General Physics
Jan 25, 2013
18
0
(Phys.org)—Copper is one of the world's most widely used metals. Now researchers at the University of Dundee have found that blackening copper using industry-standard lasers could make it even more adaptable and efficient.
Condensed Matter
Jan 16, 2013
2
0
If you want to create a moving light source, you have a few possibilities. One is to mount a light emitter in some kind of mechanical housing—the approach used in, say, theatrical spotlights, which stagehands swivel and ...
Optics & Photonics
Jan 9, 2013
2
0
(Phys.org)—At a time when communication networks are scrambling for ways to transmit more data over limited bandwidth, a type of twisted light wave is gaining new attention. Called an optical vortex or vortex beam, this ...
Optics & Photonics
Jan 8, 2013
6
0
