The visual system of Xenos peckii, an endoparasite of paper wasps, differs from the compound eyes of most insects in terms of sensitivity and resolution. Inspired by their unique features, a team created an ultrathin digital camera that mimics Xenos peckii’s unique eyes. Compared to existing imaging systems, the ultrathin digital camera has a broader [..]

Researchers showed a significant coupling between light and high-frequency acoustic vibrations in a silica microresonator. The results open the door to creative uses of light-sound coupling in creating new technologies. It involves Brillouin scattering, a well-known nonlinear occurrence first identified in the 1920s. In sensing equipment and communications, producing a strong coupling of photons and [..]

For the first time, researchers demonstrated that nerves engineered to express proteins activated by light could generate limb movements that can be adjusted in real-time using cues generated by the limb’s motion. The optogenetic technique produces smoother and less tiring movement than similar electrical systems that stimulate nerves in spinal cord injury patients and others. [..]

Researchers have developed an IR Image encoding method to hide information on the surface of a material using a plasmonic nanostructure so that it is only visible through an IR lens or camera tuned to the correct IR band. Researchers demonstrated a method for hiding images within the IR spectrum in a study so that [..]

Researchers created a new low-energy nanoscale laser, known as nanolasers, that can transmit in all directions. Introducing irregularities into the lasing materials – a structure that laser makers usually work hard to avoid – is the key to this omnidirectional light emission. The team anticipates “a wide range of potential applications.” The researchers looked into [..]

Researchers demonstrated a new technique for storing more optical data in a smaller space on-chip than was previously possible. This technique improves the phase-change optical memory cell, which uses light to write and read data, and could provide a faster, more energy-efficient form of computer memory. Researchers describe their new all-optical data storage technique, which [..]

Scientists have demonstrated a new method for fabricating compact, low-loss optical waveguides in a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) slab. A femtosecond writing laser initiates two-photon absorption in light-reactive monomers embedded in PDMS. Without potentially toxic photoinitiator compounds, two-photon absorption generates enough energy in the monomer molecules to initiate a chain polymerization reaction. The resulting polymerized waveguides have [..]

If atom-flat 2D material sensors could be seamlessly integrated onto surfaces with different geometries where detection for the near-field signal is desired, they could be used to monitor performance without adding weight or hindering signal flow. Although 2D materials are often praised for their strength, moving them without damaging them is difficult. According to researchers, [..]

Physicists are investigating a laser-based approach to illuminate the most subtle aspects of mosquito activity and better track populations that may carry a viral threat. A study used light detection and ranging (lidar), an infrared optical remote-sensing technology capable of capturing the rate at which mosquitos beat their wings in flight, known as wing beat [..]

A group of scientists has greatly devised a method to simplify and improve optical tweezer use. In the late 1980s, the optical tweezer discovery was made. They are light beam fingers that can grasp particles, atoms, molecules, and even bacteria and other living cells. The method uses an optical laser that can hold onto a [..]

According to new research, light-induced phase changes behave differently than temperature-induced phase changes. While optically induced phase changes had previously been observed, the mechanism by which they occurred was unknown. More understanding of the process could lead to new optoelectronic devices, such as data storage devices. The researchers used an electron density modulation frozen within [..]