NASA’s Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) project was launched into geosynchronous orbit, 22,000 miles above Earth, and was hosted aboard the United States. The goal is to put optical communications to the test as an alternative to radio waves. The LCRD payload, attached to a support assembly flight (LSAF), produces infrared lasers that transmit data [..]

Chalcogenide glasses are covalently bonded amorphous compounds containing one or more elements: sulfur, selenium, and tellurium. Other elements found in chalcogenides include arsenic, antimony, and even germanium. Synthetic chalcogenide glasses, like pure germanium, have high refractive indices. Unlike brittle semiconductors, however, they can be precisely molded to specification rather than being built up through crystal [..]

Reflectivity is one of the difficulties in distinguishing a duplicate hologram (hologram verification) from an original. Because a slight change in lighting condition completely changes the reflection pattern displayed by a hologram, a standardized duplicate hologram detector has yet to be developed. Researchers have developed a portable, low-cost snapshot hyperspectral imaging (HSI) algorithm-based housing module [..]

A new imaging technique captures the structure of the human genome with unprecedented fidelity, revealing how individual genes fold at the nucleosome level – the fundamental units that make up the genome’s three-dimensional architecture. The method combines high-resolution microscopy with advanced computational modeling. It is the most comprehensive method for studying the shape of genes [..]

Researchers demonstrated a new simple laser system that could aid astronomers in the discovery of new Earth-like planets. The laser emits light at one billion pulses per second and comprises only three parts: two mirrors and a sapphire crystal with a trace of titanium. The new source is powered by a green laser, which converts [..]

A research team created a solid-state LiDAR sensor with a 360° field of view (FOV). Made of the metasurface, an ultra-thin flat optical device one-thousandth the thickness of a human hair strand, the new sensor is attracting attention as an original technology enabling an ultra-small LiDAR sensor. The metasurface can greatly increase the viewing angle [..]

Researchers have developed a method for 2D IR spectroscopy capable of resolving a gas-phase sample’s myriad needle-thin lines. The improved resolution was due to two factors. First, the researchers used a frequency-domain rather than standard time-domain methods for generating a 2D spectrum. In standard time-domain methods, light pulses hit the sample sequentially, and the precision [..]

New research provides clinicians with new information about which neurosurgical implant devices are compatible with 7Tesla (7T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning. The findings may persuade clinicians to use advanced, high-resolution MRI technology to help patients with certain implants. 7T MRI technology is considered cutting-edge. Its ultra-high-resolution images can aid in diagnosing and planning surgery [..]

VR companies are integrating iris scanner technology with new VR headsets. The integration can help personalize user experiences. It can help companies understand whether people engage with an advertisement. Tracking your eyes and face will give VR companies unprecedented insight into your emotions. A company has also filed a patent for a technology that adapts [..]

Despite being widely accepted, the physics of optical waves has some fundamental aspects that are debatable. One of these effects, the anomalous behavior of focused light fields, is being studied in a new light, a quantum light. Quantum light with a well-defined photon number behaves differently than standard focused laser beams, according to researchers. This [..]

Chips and electronic devices have become exponentially smaller and faster in recent decades. We have nearly reached the limits of ‘traditional’ electronics and are now transitioning from electronics to photonics, which uses light instead of electrons. Scientists have developed a new technique for trapping sound waves and light using multilayer silicon nitride waveguides. The project [..]

Light-field microscopy is a promising solution for microscopic volumetric imaging because the technique can encode information on multiple planes in a single acquisition. It is accomplished through its unique simultaneous capture of light spatial distribution and propagation direction information. However, compared to standard microscopes, state-of-the-art light-field microscopes suffer from a detrimental loss of spatial resolution. [..]

Additive manufacturing allows for the creation of novel, multifunctional lenses and components that have the potential to simplify and shrink traditional optical systems. Emerging 3D printing technology converts previously impossible optical component designs into optimized elements. It can improve medical instruments, research tools, communications systems, and consumer devices. The additive process in 3D printing prints [..]

Nanowires, materials with 1000 times the diameter of a human hair and fascinating physical properties, have the potential to enable significant advances in a wide range of fields, from energy harvesters and sensors to information and quantum technologies. Their minuscule size, in particular, may enable the development of smaller transistors and miniaturized computer chips. However, [..]

Researchers have developed a new decoding method for orbital angular momentum (OAM) holography. Based on cross convolution, it significantly exceeds the upper limit of OAM holography’s information extraction rate. They designed an amplitude-modulated pattern called Amplitude Decoding Key (ADK) as a decoder for information extraction in OAM holography, starting with the spatial frequency domain. A [..]

When a germinating seed is placed on its side, some roots bend earthward immediately, while others turn more slowly. Plant roots must be directed toward gravity for water and nutrients to be available. Understanding these directional mechanisms could help improve agriculture and ensure food security as global climate changes. A new study used machine vision [..]

With global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions reaching an all-time high in 2021, the need for clean energy is greater than ever. Solar energy is one such alternative to fossil fuels. Solar cells have been created using various materials, but selenium (Se) is popular because it is inexpensive, stable, and non-toxic. Its efficiency, however, is limited [..]

Risk stratification is essential for identifying high-risk individuals and disease prevention. Researchers investigated the potential of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy-derived metabolomic profiles to provide information on multi-disease risk. They conducted the research in addition to conventional clinical predictors for the onset of 24 common conditions, including metabolic, vascular, respiratory, musculoskeletal, neurological, and cancer diseases. [..]

Researchers have developed a new laser-based technique that can perform LiDAR and remote chemical measurements at the same time. LiDAR (light detection and ranging) uses a laser to measure distances or ranges. Chemically sensitive LiDAR measurements could be useful for remote chemical mapping, detecting trace amounts of chemicals, monitoring industrial processes, and quality control. Researchers [..]

A new photonic chip could be a significant step toward enabling photonic quantum information processors. It can generate and measure quantum states of light in ways previously only possible with large and costly laboratory equipment. The chip is built with lithium niobate, a salt whose crystals have numerous applications in optics. On one side of [..]