A new technique has been developed to improve illumination uniformity in direct-drive inertial confinement fusion. This technique is more efficient than previous methods and can be applied to other pellet geometries and at other facilities. Inertial confinement fusion is a fusion power that uses lasers to compress and heat a target fuel pellet, causing it [..]

A groundbreaking study introduces a revolutionary technique for noninvasive, high-resolution imaging through highly scattering media. Researchers developed this method, which leverages computational holography to overcome the limitations of traditional optical imaging. The key innovation lies in using computational optimization to emulate wavefront shaping experiments. By optimizing multiple “virtual SLMs” simultaneously, the researchers could reconstruct high-quality [..]

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 [..]

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 [..]

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 [..]

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 [..]

In a recent breakthrough, researchers have developed a new method to predict a patient’s response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for breast cancer. This method leverages the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and combines information from ultrasound images and pathology slides. NAC is a type of chemotherapy given before surgery to shrink tumors and improve surgical [..]

Researchers have successfully engineered a metasurface that can transform the chaotic, incoherent thermal emissions from thermal sources like incandescent bulbs into highly coherent, polarized, and directed beams. This groundbreaking achievement could revolutionize fields ranging from lighting and imaging to thermal management and control. Traditionally, metasurfaces have been limited to manipulating highly coherent laser light. However, [..]

Microfluidic biochips are tiny devices that manipulate fluids at the microliter scale. They have a wide range of applications in the medical field, including drug discovery, diagnostics, and personalized medicine. However, a new study has shown that these chips are vulnerable to cyber-physical attacks that can be launched by tampering with the manufacturing process. The [..]

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a complication of diabetes that can lead to vision loss. Early detection and treatment of DR are essential to prevent vision loss. Traditional fundus photography (FP) is a common screening method for DR. Still, it has limitations in detecting diabetic macular edema (DME), a type of fluid buildup in the macula, [..]

In silicon photonics, creating dependable sources of single photons and enabling strong interactions between them has been a substantial obstacle to quantum technologies. A recent study describes a novel technique for generating indistinguishable photons from a silicon waveguide incorporating a G center. G centers are intricate defects within silicon. They consist of two carbon atoms [..]

A new method for measuring urine C-reactive protein (CRP) levels has been developed using an optical sensor and machine learning algorithms. This method is believed to be more accurate and reliable than traditional methods, such as ELISA. CRP is a biomarker of inflammation, and a point-of-care test for CRP could be useful for various applications, [..]