Scientists discover new ways to twist and shift light
The results from the National Physical Laboratory's (NPL) latest research in photonics could open doors to new quantum technologies and telecoms systems
The results from the National Physical Laboratory's (NPL) latest research in photonics could open doors to new quantum technologies and telecoms systems
Optics & Photonics
Jan 14, 2019
0
2026
Light is the most energy-efficient way of moving information. Yet, light shows one big limitation: it is difficult to store. As a matter of fact, data centers rely primarily on magnetic hard drives. However, in these hard ...
Optics & Photonics
Jan 11, 2019
1
955
A weird feature of certain exotic materials allows electrons to travel from one surface of the material to another as if there were nothing in between. Now, researchers have shown that they can switch this feature on and ...
General Physics
Jan 8, 2019
1
319
When beams of ultra-short laser pulses running in the same direction intersect with each other at a noticeable angle, various interactions occur between the pulses. These physical phenomena are complicated, and their mathematical ...
Optics & Photonics
Dec 27, 2018
1
325
During the conversion of light into electricity, such as in solar cells, a large part of the input light energy is lost. This is due to the behaviour of electrons inside of materials. If light hits a material, it stimulates ...
Optics & Photonics
Dec 21, 2018
0
267
University of Chicago scientists have pioneered a technique that could one day create a pacemaker that operates using tiny pulses of light.
Bio & Medicine
Dec 12, 2018
0
247
When a dense sheet of electrons is accelerated to almost the speed of light, it acts as a reflective surface. Such a 'plasma mirror' can be used to manipulate light. Now an international team of physicists from the Max Planck ...
Optics & Photonics
Dec 5, 2018
0
67
Electronic systems using light waves instead of voltage signals is advantageous, as electromagnetic light waves oscillate at petaherz frequency. This means that future computers could operate at speeds 1 million times faster ...
Nanophysics
Nov 27, 2018
0
219
Reseachers at ETH Zurich have developed a modulator with which data transmitted via millimetre waves can be directly converted into light pulses for optical fibres. This could make covering the "last mile" up to the internet ...
Optics & Photonics
Nov 21, 2018
1
40
Using machine-learning and an integrated photonic chip, researchers from INRS (Canada) and the University of Sussex (UK) can now customize the properties of broadband light sources. Also called "supercontinuum", these sources ...
Optics & Photonics
Nov 20, 2018
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295