There are several ways to "trap" a beam of light—usually with mirrors, other reflective surfaces, or high-tech materials such as photonic crystals. But now researchers at MIT have discovered a new method to trap light that ...
General Physics
Jul 10, 2013
13
0
ETH researchers have cooled a nanoparticle to a record low temperature, thanks to a sophisticated experimental set-up that uses scattered laser light for cooling. Until now, no one has ever cooled a nanoparticle to such ...
Optics & Photonics
Apr 25, 2019
0
235
Legend tells of Greek engineer and inventor Archimedes using parabolic mirrors to create "heat rays" to burn the ships attacking Syracuse. Though the underpinnings of that claim are speculative at best, a modern-day team ...
General Physics
Sep 12, 2011
15
0
Many areas of fundamental research are interested in graphene owing to its exceptional characteristics. It is made of one layer of carbon atoms, which makes it light and sturdy, and it is an excellent thermal and electrical ...
Nanophysics
Jul 9, 2015
1
2944
Bad wireless reception, the noise in the radio signal or poor visibility in the fog—all these annoyances have to do with the fact that waves such as visible light or microwave signals are deflected and reflected by numerous ...
General Physics
Jul 14, 2022
1
374
Squids, octopuses and cuttlefish are undisputed masters of deception and camouflage. Their extraordinary ability to change color, texture and shape is unrivaled, even by modern technology.
Biochemistry
Nov 15, 2019
3
433
(PhysOrg.com) -- Somewhat the way Harry Potter can cover himself with a cloak and become invisible, Cornell researchers have developed a device that can make it seem that a bump in a carpet -- or, indeed, any flat surface ...
Optics & Photonics
May 13, 2009
6
0
As planets in our solar system go, Venus is one for the textbooks.
Space Exploration
Aug 27, 2019
2
513
Photonic crystals are exotic materials with the ability to guide light beams through confined spaces and could be vital components of low-power computer chips that use light instead of electricity. Cost-effective ways of ...
Nanomaterials
Oct 19, 2010
0
0
UNSW astronomers have shown that binary stars – two stars locked in orbit around each other – reflect light as well as radiating it, revealing new ways for their detection.
Astronomy
Apr 2, 2019
0
858
