For the first time, scientists could identify very low concentrations of a cancer protein biomarker in a urine sample using a chip-based optical sensor with an embedded laser. The new technology is more sensitive than previous models and may result in non-invasive, low-cost methods to identify molecules that signify the existence or progression of a [..]

Diffractive deep neural network (DDNN) is an optical machine learning framework that combines deep learning with optical diffraction and light-matter interaction to create diffractive surfaces that perform optical computation at the speed of light. A diffractive neural network is first designed in a computer using deep learning techniques, then physically fabricated using 3-D printing or [..]

A study team has demonstrated real-time monitoring of enzyme reactions using a quantum sensor. The scientists created a system that enabled them to regulate light down to the level of a single particle. It allowed for dim illumination without affecting the enzymes, potentially leading to increased sensitivity. The ability to directly address the sample enabled [..]

The visual system of the mantis shrimp, a marine crustacean whose eyes handle data about both the hue and the polarization of light, has long captivated optical scientists. These capabilities have been the driving force behind several optical devices that extract 3-D spatial and polarization information concurrently. However, cramming both characteristics into a small optical [..]

Researchers have developed a method for expediting the creation and customization of templates used in medical image analysis to aid in disease diagnosis. The new technique can be used to crunch datasets of patients’ medical images and capture structural relationships that may indicate disease progression. In many cases, analysis necessitates using a common image template known [..]

Engineers have created a microscope that adapts its lighting angles, colors, and patterns while teaching itself the best settings for a given diagnostic task. The microscope developed a lighting pattern and classification system simultaneously in the engineering team’s study, allowing it to quickly identify red blood cells infected by the malaria parasite more accurately than [..]

Biomimetics, the ability to imitate nature, gives scientists a blueprint for creating intricate micro- and nanoscale structures that mimic the beneficial properties of the plant or animal being mimicked. Researchers were able to make lens arrays from “liquid marbles” that have the same wide field of view, nearly infinite depth of field, peripheral vision without [..]

An international team of researchers used an optical probe to capture and pinpoint the brain’s neural activity epicenter. The method lays the groundwork for new ways to map connections across different brain regions, which could lead to the development of devices to image different brain areas and even treat conditions caused by malfunctions in the [..]

Better biosensor technology, as described by the study team, “may help lead to safe stem cell therapies for treating Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases and other neurological disorders,” they claim. The research, which uses a graphene and gold-based platform and sophisticated imaging equipment, tracks the growth of stem cells by spotting the genetic material (RNA) necessary [..]

Researchers have created a tiny low-energy device – an optical switch that can move the light from one computer chip to another in 20 billionths of a second, faster than any other similar device. The compact switch is the first to redirect light with very low signal loss while operating at voltages low enough to [..]

Researchers have devised a method to perform optical coherence tomography (OCT) in difficult-to-reach body parts like joints. The development might make new surgical and medical uses possible for this high-resolution biomedical imaging method. OCT is the best tool for detecting minute changes in tissue that could be signs of illness or damage because it can [..]

Scientists have created rewritable optical components for 2D light waves (surface light waves). A polariton is a particle that blurs the line between light and matter when certain materials confine a wave of light on a 2D plane. Polaritons allow light to be tightly confined to the nanoscale, potentially to a few atoms in thickness. [..]

We hear about climate change and its consequences almost daily, from wildfires in Greenland to melting ice in Antarctica to Europeans sweating in record-high summer temperatures. These stories, combined with dire warnings about rising sea levels and record levels of greenhouse gases, can elicit strong urges to “do something.” One of the first jobs is [..]

Researchers have developed a method to make reproducible nanoscale manufacturing possible. The team adapted a light-based technology employed widely in biology — known as optical traps or optical tweezers — to operate in a water-free liquid environment of carbon-rich organic solvents, enabling new potential applications. The optical tweezers act as a light-based “tractor beam” that [..]

Most leading security standards (for example, Advanced Encryption Standard, or AES, and Rivest-Shamir-Adleman, or RSA, which are used to secure online communications such as payments on shopping websites) used in secure communication methods do not make use of quantum technology. As a result, electronic transmission of PINs or passwords can be intercepted, posing a security [..]

Researchers have created a broadband laser-based sensor that can remotely detect the concentration level of key blood components like lactate, glucose, urea, ketones, or ethanol without drawing blood to make noninvasive blood analysis possible. Chronic disease patients, such as those with diabetes, won’t have to repeatedly prick their fingers to check their blood glucose levels [..]

Engineers have created a computer vision system that can detect minute changes in ground shadows to determine if a moving object is around the bend to increase the safety of autonomous systems. One day, autonomous vehicles may use the system to swiftly avoid collisions with other vehicles or pedestrians approaching from behind a building’s corner [..]

The microlens array has attracted significant attention with the increasing demand for optoelectronic miniaturization. It has become an important micro-optic device widely used in compact imaging, sensing, optical communication, and other applications. Microlens arrays are typically made up of multiple micron-sized lenses with optical surface smoothness and superior uniformity, which increases the need for machining [..]

These materials’ extraordinary optical, semiconducting, and mechanical qualities have increased interest in plastic electronics and photonics over the past few decades. For designing laser geometries of almost any form, plastic electronics based on conjugated polymers combine the advantages of cost-effective processability compatible with large-area deposition. With rigid inorganic semiconductor materials, this is not feasible. To [..]

By measuring the activity of a large number of individual neurons simultaneously, a new ultrasensitive optical nanoprobe that can monitor the bioelectric activity of neurons (and other cells that generate electrical impulses) could help researchers better understand how neural circuits function at previously unexplored scales. In the future, the device could aid in developing high-bandwidth [..]