optics

Fragile topology: Two new studies explain the strange electron flow in future materials

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Electrons race along the surface of certain unusual crystalline materials, except that sometimes they don’t. Two new studies from Princeton researchers and their collaborators explain the source of the surprising behavior and chart a course for restoring conductivity in these remarkable crystals, prized for their potential use in future technologies including quantum computers. The studies … Read more

Using sound and light to generate ultra-fast data transfer

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Researchers have made a breakthrough in the control of terahertz quantum cascade lasers, which could lead to the transmission of data at the rate of 100 gigabits per second – around one thousand times quicker than a fast Ethernet operating at 100 megabits a second. What distinguishes terahertz quantum cascade lasers from other lasers is … Read more

Making light work

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A collaboration between McMaster and Harvard researchers has generated a new platform in which light beams communicate with one another through solid matter, establishing the foundation to explore a new form of computing. Their work is described in a paper published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Kalaichelvi Saravanamuttu, an associate professor … Read more

Groningen’s physicists have visualized hydrogen at the metal-to-metal hydride interface

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University of Groningen physicists have visualized hydrogen at the titanium/titanium hydride interface using a transmission electron microscope. Using a new technique, they succeeded in visualizing both the metal and the hydrogen atoms in a single image, allowing them to test different theoretical models that describe the interface structure. The results were published on 31 January … Read more

Researchers combine X-rays and laser light to image sprays

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Researchers have developed a new laser-based method that provides an unprecedented view of sprays such as the ones used for liquid fuel combustion in vehicle, ship and plane engines. The technique could provide new insights into these atomizing sprays, which are also used in a variety of industrial processes such as painting and producing food … Read more

Beating the heat in the living wings of butterflies

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A new study from Columbia Engineering and Harvard identified the critical physiological importance of suitable temperatures for butterfly wings to function properly, and discovered that the insects exquisitely regulate their wing temperatures through both structural and behavioral adaptations. Contrary to common belief that butterfly wings consist primarily of lifeless membranes, the new study demonstrated that they contain a network … Read more

Expert in visual neuroscience has international award in his sights

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Pioneering discoveries about the ‘extraordinarily strange’ visual systems of shrimps – that could improve early detection of cancer – have been recognised with an international prize. University of Queensland researcher Professor Justin Marshall shared the Rank Prize for Optoelectronics with long-term colleague Professor Tom Cronin from University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Optoelectronics focuses on light-emitting or light-detecting devices, and the pair has revealed … Read more

Nano antennas for data transfer

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Directional antennas convert electrical signals to radio waves and emit them in a particular direction, allowing increased performance and reduced interference. This principle, which is useful in radio wave technology, could also be interesting for miniaturised light sources. After all, almost all Internet-based communication utilises optical light communication. Directional antennas for light could be used … Read more

Cutting through fog with laser focus

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Research from The University of Queensland aimed at controlling light in scattering materials, such as fog or biological tissues, will benefit future biomedical imaging and telecommunications. Optics researchers Dr Mickael Mounaix and Dr Joel Carpenter have found a new way of controlling how light travels through different materials at different times using optical fibres. “The … Read more