https://phys.org/physics-news/optics-photonics en-us The latest news on Optics and Photonics You may not realize it, but the Doppler effect is everywhere in our lives, from tracking the speed of cars with radar to locating satellites in the sky. It's all about how waves change their frequency when a source (like a radar signal) and a detector are in motion relative to each other. However, traditional radar systems hit a roadblock when trying to detect objects moving at right angles to their radar signals. This limitation has driven researchers to explore an entirely new approach. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-revolutionizing-radar-thz-emitter-precise.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 20 Oct 2023 13:44:03 EDT news617028241 Whenever light interacts with matter, light appears to slow down. This is not a new observation and standard wave mechanics can describe most of these daily phenomena. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-major-problems-physics.html General Physics Optics & Photonics Fri, 20 Oct 2023 09:45:40 EDT news617013937 When we illuminate something, we usually expect that the brighter the source we use, the brighter the resulting image will be. This rule also works for ultra-short pulses of laser light—but only up to a certain intensity. The answer to the question why an X-ray diffraction image 'darkens' at very high X-ray intensities not only deepens fundamental understanding of the light-matter interaction, but also offers a unique perspective for the production of laser pulses that have significantly shorter pulse duration than those currently available. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-x-ray-lasers-brighter-darker.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 19 Oct 2023 11:35:15 EDT news616934111 An international team of scientists is rethinking the basic principles of radiation physics with the aim of creating super-bright light sources. In a new study published in Nature Photonics, researchers from the Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) in Portugal, the University of Rochester, the University of California, Los Angeles, and Laboratoire d'Optique Appliquée in France proposed ways to use quasiparticles to create light sources as powerful as the most advanced ones in existence today, but much smaller. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-scientists-super-bright-sources-powered-quasiparticles.html Optics & Photonics Quantum Physics Thu, 19 Oct 2023 11:00:01 EDT news616926349 The development of tumors begins with miniscule changes within the body's cells; ion diffusion at the smallest scales is decisive in the performance of batteries. Until now, the resolution of conventional imaging methods has not been high enough to represent these processes in detail. A research team lead by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has developed diamond quantum sensors which can be used to improve resolution in magnetic imaging. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-miniature-magnetic-resonance-imager-diamond.html Optics & Photonics Quantum Physics Thu, 19 Oct 2023 10:21:21 EDT news616929676 Rotating objects carry angular momentum; this fact extends even to the tiniest of particles, such as photons. Photons possess not one but two distinct forms of angular momentum: spin angular momentum (SAM) and orbital angular momentum (OAM). https://phys.org/news/2023-10-technique-precise-photonic-angular-momentum.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 18 Oct 2023 11:35:03 EDT news616847702 Noninvasive inspection of layered structures is challenging for time-resolved imaging methods, where the resolution and contrast can be compromised by prominent signal attenuation with interlayer reflections and dispersions. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-hidden-layered-terahertz-imaging.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 18 Oct 2023 11:20:01 EDT news616846040 University of Otago physicists have used a small glass bulb containing an atomic vapor to demonstrate a new form of antenna for radio waves. The bulb was "wired up" with laser beams and could therefore be placed far from any receiver electronics. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-physicists-antenna-radio.html Optics & Photonics Quantum Physics Wed, 18 Oct 2023 09:52:03 EDT news616841521 Ever since Antonie van Leeuwenhoek discovered the world of bacteria through a microscope in the late seventeenth century, humans have tried to look deeper into the world of the infinitesimally small. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-superlensing-super-lens-physicists-boost.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 18 Oct 2023 05:00:01 EDT news616773425 A collaborative group of researchers has manipulated the behavior of light as if it were under the influence of gravity. The findings, which were published in the journal Physical Review A on September 28, 2023, have far-reaching implications for the world of optics and materials science, and bear significance for the development of 6G communications. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-photonic-crystals-gravity.html Condensed Matter Optics & Photonics Mon, 16 Oct 2023 11:17:02 EDT news616673821 Researchers have developed an easy-to-use optical chip that can configure itself to achieve various functions. The positive real-valued matrix computation they have achieved gives the chip the potential to be used in applications requiring optical neural networks. Optical neural networks can be used for a variety of data-heavy tasks such as image classification, gesture interpretation and speech recognition. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-easy-to-use-optical-chip-self-configure-functions.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 11 Oct 2023 16:56:03 EDT news616262161 Absorption spectroscopy is an analytical chemistry tool that can determine if a particular substance is present in a sample by measuring the intensity of the light absorbed as a function of wavelength. Measuring the absorbance of an atom or molecule can provide important information about electronic structure, quantum state, sample concentration, phase changes or composition changes, among other variables, including interaction with other molecules and possible technological applications. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-alternative-method-simulation-absorption-spectrum.html Optics & Photonics Quantum Physics Wed, 11 Oct 2023 13:41:41 EDT news616250498 Quantum communications have rapidly progressed toward practical, large-scale networks based on quantum key distributions that spearhead the process. Quantum key distribution systems typically include a sender "Alice," a receiver "Bob," who generate a shared secret from quantum measurements for secure communication. Although fiber-based systems are well-suited for metropolitan scale, a suitable fiber infrastructure might not always be in place. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-metropolitan-free-space-quantum-networks.html Optics & Photonics Quantum Physics Tue, 10 Oct 2023 09:29:22 EDT news616148890 Scientists have caught fast-moving hydrogen atoms—the keys to countless biological and chemical reactions—in action. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-protons-dissociation-ultrafast-electron-camera.html General Physics Optics & Photonics Fri, 06 Oct 2023 13:06:03 EDT news615816361 A team of scientists at the QOT Centre for Quantum Optical Technologies, including a student from the Faculty of Physics (University of Warsaw), made a device capable of the conversion of quantum information between microwave and optical photons. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-discovery-enable-network-interface-quantum.html Optics & Photonics Quantum Physics Thu, 05 Oct 2023 11:30:04 EDT news615724201 A research team under the direction of Prof. Dr. Felix Deschler at Heidelberg University's Institute for Physical Chemistry has developed a semiconductor that efficiently generates light and simultaneously gives that light a certain spin. According to the researchers, the so-called chiral perovskite material has great technological potential that can be used for applications in optoelectronics, telecommunications, and information processing. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-organic-inorganic-semiconductor-generates-circularly-polarized.html Condensed Matter Optics & Photonics Thu, 05 Oct 2023 10:43:07 EDT news615721385 When two lattices with distinct angles or periodicities come together, they conjure a moiré superlattice—a realm where astonishing phenomena like superconductivity and optical solitons spring to life. At the heart of this realm lies the moiré flatband, a key player in shaping advanced light–matter interactions, such as laser emission and second harmonic generation. In moiré physics and its relevant applications, wielding control over flatbands is a pivotal superpower. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-moir-physics-photonics-band-offset.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 04 Oct 2023 15:40:03 EDT news615652802 Researchers at the University of East Anglia have proposed a new way of using quantum light to "see" quantum sound. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-quantum.html Optics & Photonics Quantum Physics Wed, 04 Oct 2023 10:44:03 EDT news615635042 Using a novel method, beams of laser light can be deflected using air alone. An invisible grating made only of air is not only immune to damage from the laser light, but it also preserves the original quality of the beam, reports an interdisciplinary research team in the journal Nature Photonics. The researchers have applied for a patent for their method. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-air-deflect-lasers.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 03 Oct 2023 10:58:04 EDT news615549481 Will printed photographs ever match the precision of a mirror's reflection? Even though the answer may still be no for a while, Osaka Metropolitan University scientists have made significant strides in precision printing with their innovative optical vortex laser-based technique that allows for the precise placement of minuscule droplets with micrometer-scale accuracy. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-next-generation-precise-optical-vortices.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 02 Oct 2023 09:54:14 EDT news615459249 X-ray technology plays a vital role in medicine and scientific research, providing non-invasive medical imaging and insight into materials. Recent advancements in X-ray technology enable brighter, more intense beams and imaging of increasingly intricate systems in real-world conditions, like the insides of operating batteries. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-scientists-durable-sensitive-material-high.html Condensed Matter Optics & Photonics Sat, 30 Sep 2023 04:10:01 EDT news615265573 An international team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter (MPSD) in Hamburg and ETH Zurich has now demonstrated that it is possible to probe electron dynamics in liquids using intense laser fields and to retrieve the electron mean free path—the average distance an electron can travel before colliding with another particle. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-intense-lasers-electron-dynamics-liquids.html Optics & Photonics Soft Matter Thu, 28 Sep 2023 13:04:14 EDT news615125051 Researchers at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. Stanford University, and Denmark Technical University have designed a cutting-edge X-ray microscope capable of directly observing sound waves at the tiniest of scales—the lattice level within a crystal. These findings, published last week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could change the way scientists study ultrafast changes in materials and the resulting properties. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-revolutionary-x-ray-microscope-unveils-deep.html Condensed Matter Optics & Photonics Thu, 28 Sep 2023 13:01:03 EDT news615124861 Light can excite electron and hole pairs inside semiconducting materials. If the attraction between a negatively charged electron and a positively charged hole (the antiparticle of electron in solid state physics) is strong, they stay bound together, forming states known as excitons. In these states, positively charged holes can be viewed as the vacancies left behind by the electrons they are paired with. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-excitons-moir-superlattices.html Condensed Matter Optics & Photonics Thu, 28 Sep 2023 09:55:02 EDT news615113693 Scientists at St Andrews are leading a significant breakthrough in a decades-long challenge to develop compact laser technology. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-scientists-electrically-driven-semiconductor-laser.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 27 Sep 2023 11:45:03 EDT news615033901 A team led by scientists and engineers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Southern California and Washington University in St. Louis, has created a unique, record-setting material that can bend one infrared ray of light in two directions. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-record-setting.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 27 Sep 2023 11:34:03 EDT news615033242 Researchers have created chip-based photonic resonators that operate in the ultraviolet (UV) and visible regions of the spectrum and exhibit a record low UV light loss. The new resonators lay the groundwork for increasing the size, complexity and fidelity of UV photonic integrated circuit (PIC) design, which could enable new miniature chip-based devices for applications such as spectroscopic sensing, underwater communication and quantum information processing. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-fabricate-chip-based-optical-resonators-uv.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 26 Sep 2023 15:08:03 EDT news614959681 Is it possible to make a femtosecond laser entirely out of glass? That's the rabbit hole that Yves Bellouard, head of EPFL's Galatea Laboratory, went down after years of spending hours—and hours—aligning femtosecond lasers for lab experiments. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-femtosecond-laser-glass.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 26 Sep 2023 09:37:03 EDT news614939821 Most of the imaging technologies available today, including smartphone cameras, digital video cameras, microscopes and telescopes, are based on the concepts of direct imaging, i.e., a camera directly recording a scene in a single step. This is precisely how human vision works, where light from an object is collected by the eye's lens and focused on the retina. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-holographic-hybridization-technique-depth-field.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 26 Sep 2023 09:09:51 EDT news614938149 Negative pressure is a rare and challenging-to-detect phenomenon in physics. Using liquid-filled optical fibers and sound waves, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL) in Erlangen have now discovered a new method to measure it. In collaboration with the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technologies in Jena (IPHT), the scientists in the Quantum Optoacoustics research group, led by Birgit Stiller, can gain important insights into thermodynamic states. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-reveal-negative-pressure.html Optics & Photonics Soft Matter Mon, 25 Sep 2023 13:27:39 EDT news614867255