Optics & Photonics Focus News Updates

The Dark Side of Lasers

Mon, 1 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Some scientific discoveries completely change how we look at things: it certainly was the case for Dirac�s theory on antimatter or Einstein�s theory of relativity. Now, our existing scientific ideas are set to change once more; new experiments show that laser theory should be extended to include dark pulse emission.

Is Light Slowing Down?

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The speed of light is a universal constant -- or is it? Some evidence seems to suggest it might actually be slowing down. Will we soon have to revise our cosmological beliefs?

A New Instrument for the Laser Orchestra

Tue, 9 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Laser physics and music share surprising analogies: lasers and flutes, for example, have been tuned in a very similar way until now. Recent experiments show that lasers can also be tuned in a way that does not find a counterpart in music, well not yet at least.

Listen to the Light and See Deeper

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Imaging fluorescent proteins in thick biological samples has always been a challenge. Now a new technique has harnessed the opto-acoustic effect in order to make deep tissue imaging easier for biologists.

The Future of Barcodes

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Thanks to barcodes, computers can extract a lot of information on our everyday lives. A new technology by MIT, the Bokode, greatly enhances barcode technology, from interactive shopping to inexpensive motion capture.

Colors Beyond the Noise

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

We need eyes to see, but we need contrast to discern. A new technique for optical microscopy can now detect molecules even when their fluorescence is overwhelmed by background noise.

Two Colors is Better than One

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Standard optical fibers have revolutionized our lives. Now new perspectives can be envisioned for a new generation of photonic crystal fibers capable of transmitting two different colors at the same time.

The Dawn of Scalable Quantum Computers

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

How close are we to the quantum computational revolution? Quantum computers promise drastic speedups for tackling the most complex mathematical problems. Nonetheless, current precursors of quantum computers cannot be scaled efficiently to reasonably sized systems. Now, researchers have realized a new setup that can be scaled more easily than ever before.

The Smallest Laser Ever

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A year before the 50^th anniversary of the invention of the laser, laser physicists present a new breakthrough: the nanolaser. It is the smallest laser ever, which makes a whole new range of applications in nanophotonics possible.

Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography: Towards the Next Generation of Integrated Circuits

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Lithography is the most challenging technology in the semiconductor industry. The most promising next generation lithography technology is extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL). EUVL was proposed long ago, in 1988, but its implementation has been postponed several times. Presently, most "showstoppers" are gone, but there are still several challenges that need to be addressed. The semiconductor industry is now getting ready to use EUVL in a pre-production phase, and EUVL might be implemented for 32 nm and 22 nm technological nodes. High volume manufacturing EUVL printers will be delivered to multiple end-users from 2010.