A recent study has shed new light on the early stages of substance use. Researchers used a specialized type of MRI, called neuromelanin-sensitive MRI, to examine the brains of young adults who had a history of extensive alcohol and drug use. Neuromelanin is a pigment in certain brain areas, including the midbrain, where dopamine is [..]

Metasurfaces, a class of artificially engineered materials, have revolutionized the field of optics by offering unprecedented control over light at the nanoscale. However, until recently, metasurfaces faced limitations in achieving asymmetric optical responses, where the behavior of light differs depending on its direction of incidence. A team of researchers has successfully overcome this hurdle by [..]

Optical tweezers are powerful tools that use light to trap and manipulate microscopic objects. They have a wide range of applications in biology and medicine, but current integrated optical tweezers have limitations. New research discusses a new approach that uses integrated optical phased arrays (OPAs) to overcome these limitations. The OPA system can trap and [..]

Event-based cameras, also known as neuromorphic sensors, have garnered significant attention in machine vision due to their energy efficiency and high temporal resolution. However, a critical limitation has hindered their widespread adoption: their inability to capture information on the edges of objects parallel to the camera’s motion. This issue can significantly impact the performance of [..]

Mid-infrared (Mid-IR) fiber lasers and amplifiers have gained significant attention due to their potential applications in various fields, including spectroscopy, sensing, and materials processing. However, the efficient coupling of pump light into these Mid-IR fibers remains a critical challenge. Traditional pump combiners often involve complex fabrication processes and can suffer from low coupling efficiencies. New [..]

Have you ever wondered why some people are tall, and others are short? Scientists have been chipping away at this question for decades, and a new study has shed new light on the genetics that influence human height. This study employed a powerful whole-genome sequencing technique to pinpoint rare genetic variations associated with height. Whole-genome [..]

Researchers have developed a wearable device that uses light to kill bacteria in chronic wounds. The ACEL mPDT device is powered by the wearer’s movements and designed to be safe and effective for treating wounds infected with MRSA. The device is made of a flexible material that conforms to the body. It contains a hydrogel [..]

In a groundbreaking collaboration, researchers developed a novel fluorescent 3D printing process incorporating fluorescent ring-shaped molecules. This innovation can potentially revolutionize the field of biomedical implants by creating intricate, glowing structures that are easier to track and monitor within the body. The team combined their expertise in engineering and chemistry to create a technique that [..]

A team of researchers has developed a promising new method for measuring stroke risk. This non-invasive device, which uses speckle contrast optical spectroscopy for early stroke detection, akin to a cardiac stress test, could revolutionize stroke care by enabling early detection and prevention. Strokes, a leading cause of neurological disability, occur when blood flow to [..]

New research describes a new, fast, all-optical 3D photoacoustic scanner for clinical vascular imaging. The scanner uses a novel photoacoustic tomography (PAT) technique to capture high-resolution 3D images of microvasculature within a few seconds or even milliseconds. This innovation paves the way for significantly faster imaging compared to conventional methods. The scanner’s core lies in [..]

Generating laser light in the green spectrum has traditionally been challenging due to the limitations of conventional laser designs. This spectral region, known as the green gap, lies between the more easily achievable red and blue wavelengths. A recent study presents a groundbreaking technique for overcoming this hurdle. Researchers have successfully employed Kerr optical parametric [..]

In integrated photonics, achieving high-coherence parallelization is a topic that has garnered significant interest. A new study presents a novel approach to accomplishing this feat. The researchers leverage self-injection locked microcombs to injection lock distributed feedback (DFB) lasers. This ingenious strategy paves the way for creating high-coherence channels boasting linewidths as low as 10 Hz [..]

New research discusses a groundbreaking new optomechanical method for neuronal stimulation and modulation. Researchers have developed a technique that utilizes a sunflower pollen grain tip as a bio-dart to stimulate neurons. This bio-dart is propelled towards the cell membrane using optical scattering force. The impact triggers the opening of mechanosensitive ion channels, ultimately leading to neural [..]

Light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) is a cornerstone of biological research, enabling researchers to peer into the intricate world within living cells in 3D.  LSFM achieves this by illuminating a thin layer of the sample with light and capturing the emitted fluorescence.  While this method offers high-resolution 3D imaging with minimal photobleaching, designing the illumination beam [..]

New research discusses a novel application of LiDAR technology to wildfire management. LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) is a remote sensing method that uses light pulses to measure variable distances. By bouncing laser beams off objects and recording the time it takes for the signal to return, LiDAR systems can create highly detailed, three-dimensional (3D) [..]

Unipolar quantum optoelectronics offers a game-changing approach for high-speed direct modulation and transmission in the 8–14 µm atmospheric window. The research explores its potential for free-space optical (FSO) communication in the mid-infrared (MIR) region. The system leverages unipolar quantum optoelectronic devices, including a distributed feedback quantum cascade laser (DFB-QCL) as the transmitter and a quantum [..]

A groundbreaking new method developed by researchers has revolutionized the field of chiral analysis. For the first time, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy can directly elucidate the chiral structure of molecules—a crucial step in developing new drugs. Chirality, the spatial arrangement of atoms within a molecule, plays a vital role in its biological activity. Enantiomers, [..]

Researchers have made significant progress in developing a new class of transparent, high-porosity glasses. Due to their unique properties, these aluminum alkoxide network-forming glasses are particularly interesting for optics and photonics applications. The newly developed glasses exhibit well-defined transitions, indicating a clear transition from a viscous liquid to a rigid solid state. This property is [..]

Direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation is fundamental in various applications, including radar, sonar, and wireless communication. Traditional methods for DOA estimation often rely on signal processing algorithms that can be computationally expensive and struggle with limitations like the diffraction limit. Researchers are exploring the potential of optical computing to overcome these limitations and achieve higher accuracy and [..]

Diamond, the epitome of hardness and durability, has long intrigued scientists for its potential in various applications. While its exceptional thermal conductivity and quantum properties are well-known, its suitability for high-power electronics has been hindered by fabrication challenges and limited understanding of its electrical behavior. Researchers have recently shed light on this diamond enigma by [..]