A group of researchers has developed a high-conductivity material, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), that could significantly reduce contact resistance and Schottky barrier height within critical parts of electronic and optoelectronic microchips, paving the way for computer and digital imaging components to consume less power relative to their performance than current chipsets. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is so [..]

For the last half-century, silicon (Si) has been the focal point of the semiconductor and modern electronics industries. However, its surface properties are unknown. A group of scientists investigated the terahertz (THz) emission properties of Si surfaces in a new paper. The paper, “Rapid, noncontact, sensitive, and semiquantitative characterization of buffered hydrogen-fluoride-treated silicon wafer surfaces [..]

Currently, radiologists face an excessive workload, which causes fatigue and, as a result, undesirable diagnosis errors. Decision support systems can help radiologists prioritize and make faster decisions. In this regard, medical content-based image retrieval systems that provide well-curated similar examples can be extremely useful. Nonetheless, most medical content-based image retrieval systems operate by locating the [..]

Researchers in biological imaging strive for 3D, high-speed, and high-resolution imaging with minimal photobleaching and phototoxicity. The light-sheet fluorescence microscope (LSFM) contributes to this goal. The LSFM can image live specimens with high spatiotemporal resolution and low photobleaching thanks to a novel excitation and detection scheme. It has demonstrated great promise for the 3D imaging [..]

A group of researchers has developed a method for achieving high Q factors from robust mechanical structures, significantly reducing device fabrication difficulty and enabling device operation in various environments. High-Q mechanical resonances are desired in many applications, but conventional wisdom relies on minimizing the size of mechanical resonator supporting structures, which makes the fabricated mechanical [..]

Femtosecond laser pulses are extremely powerful tools in various applications ranging from medicine to manufacturing to astronomy. Using a time lens, researchers created a high-performance on-chip pulse source. The technology has the potential to enable new applications in quantum and optical computing, astronomy, optical communications, and other fields. Microfabrication techniques, similar to those used to [..]

High-resolution imaging with adaptive optics (AO) could be useful for determining the integrity of the cone mosaic after macular hole repair. An adaptive optics retinal camera was used to measure photoreceptors before and after macular hole (MH) surgery to assess any cone density changes accurately. The researcher described the results of a small study that [..]

A group of researchers has created a new thermal-imaging sensor that detects microwave radiation 100,000 times more sensitively than currently available commercial sensors, paving the way for novel communications and weaponry technology. The sensor developed by scientists could dramatically improve thermal imaging and provide a foundation for inventions in electronic warfare and radio communications, among [..]

A new study has revealed how diatoms’ glass-like shells help these microscopic organisms perform photosynthesis in low-light conditions. Improved solar cells, sensing devices, and optical components could result from a better understanding of how these phytoplankton harvests and interact with light. They developed a computational model and toolkit that could pave the way for mass-manufacturable, [..]

The transition to full-fledged AR glasses with all-day wear necessitates a high dynamic range display that works equally well in dimly lit indoor and mid-day sun outdoor spaces. Laser beam scanning (LBS) is an ideal (small size-to-power density, weight-to-performance ratios) light source for the application. Light coupling from the source into the optics can help [..]

Engineers have created a cohesive final product capable of transmitting information at ultrahigh speed while generating minimal heat by integrating an electronics chip with a photonics chip (which uses light to transfer data). The new electronic-photonic chip design could impact the future of data centers that handle massive amounts of data communication. Data communication speed [..]

A team of researchers is working to advance the development of a quantum-based hyperpolarizer for use in clinical settings. The goal is to significantly improve MRI imaging of metabolic processes, allowing for earlier and more accurate tumor detection. Metabolic imaging with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is possible. Until now, signal amplification technologies have been prohibitively [..]

Reservoir computing is a new computational framework based on recurrent neural networks. Researchers have developed a new artificial synapse of alpha-indium selenide (α-In2Se3) that may aid in replicating biological neural processes in neuromorphic devices. Reservoir computing uses artificial synapses to run deep learning algorithms directly without needing data transfer between a memory and a processing [..]

Metamaterials are engineered materials that allow us to go beyond the traditional interactions of waves and matter. Light waves that strike metamaterial coatings can be redirected, effectively preventing light from reaching our eyes. The technology enables us to create any pattern, color, or optical feature we can imagine. The “invisibility cloak” is the most visible [..]

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 [..]