Photonics & Imaging

Engineering the Flow of Light

A novel nanostructure produces uniquely shaped light.

Strengthening Electron-Triggered Light Emission

A wavelength of visible light is about 1,000 times larger than an electron, so the way the two affect each other is limited by that disparity. Now, researchers have come up with a way to make...

Nanoscale 3D Structure to Control Light

3D nanometer-scale metamaterial structures hold promise for advanced optical isolators.

Robotic Hand Can Identify Objects with Just One Grasp

Inspired by the human finger, MIT researchers have developed a robotic hand that uses high-resolution touch sensing to accurately identify an object after grasping it just one time.

Automatic Observation Management System, New Tool to Coordinate Telescope Network

The "AOM" performs complex observations with ten observation modes and 175 strategies.

Researchers Acquire 3D Images with LED Room Lighting and a Smartphone

Researchers are tapping into dynamically controlled LEDs to create a simple illumination system for 3D imaging.

Coherent Correlation Imaging Helps Understand Changes in Magnetic Materials

Scientists used a novel analysis technique — called coherent correlation imaging (CCI) — to image the evolution of magnetic domains in time and space without any previous knowledge.

Lunar Lens: First Compact Flat Metalens Images Moon Surface

Using a new fabrication method, researchers developed a single-lens telescope and captured clear images of the lunar surface — achieving greater resolution of objects and much farther imaging distance than previous metalenses.

Wavelength-Multiplexed Diffractive Optical Processor Computes Hundreds of Linear Transformations in Parallel

Computing using light can potentially provide lower latency and reduced power consumption, benefiting from the parallelism of optical systems.

Ultrafast Beam-Steering Breakthrough at Sandia Labs

The ability to control light using a semiconductor device could allow low-power, relatively inexpensive sources like LEDs or flashlight bulbs to replace more powerful laser beams in new technologies.

Optical Switching at Record Speeds Opens Door for Ultrafast, Light-Based Electronics and Computers

The future of electronics will be based instead on using laser light to control electrical signals, opening the door for the establishment of “optical transistors” and the development of ultrafast optical electronics.

Vision Sensing is Becoming More Accessible

Vision sensing systems are needed to improve operations in many industrial applications, where they can be arranged to detect the presence, position, and other characteristics of objects and products.

Crack Image Quality Indicator

Engineers have developed a modeling and manufacturing technique that generates unique verification tools which simulate cracks in metals within X-ray setup part-testing geometries.

Microscopic Color Converters May Yield Small Laser-Based Devices

New research suggests that laser-based devices are poised to become a lot smaller.

Optical Signal Amplifying Technique

Optical Signals can be retrieved from inherent background noise using Talbot effect to amplify them.

NEID Spectrometer Lights Up Path to Exoplanet Exploration

NASA's NEID tool delivered its first batch of data on the nearest and best-studied star, our Sun.

Nanoscale 3D Structure to Control Light

3D nanometer-scale metamaterial structures hold promise for advanced optical isolators.

Beam Crossing Optical System

NASA’s Langley Research Center has developed a Beam Crossing Optical System for use in two-point Focused Laser Differential Interferometers.

Using Small Drones to Monitor Volcanoes

A team at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz has recently been assessing the potential for using a small, portable observation drone in remote regions.

Serial Arrayed Waveguide Grating

The technology has several applications including optical communications, remote sensing/LiDAR, and beam steering.

Laser Attack Blinds Autonomous Vehicles, Deleting Pedestrians and Confusing Cars

Research reveals that expertly timed lasers shined at an approaching LIDAR system can create a blind spot in front of the vehicle.

New Method to Determine How 2D Materials Expand

2D materials can be packed together more densely than conventional materials, so they could be used to make devices that run faster and perform better.

Sixth Mirror Casting Brings Giant Magellan Telescope Closer to Completion

Nearly 20 tons of extremely pure borosilicate glass made by Ohara Corporation in Japan are becoming a honeycomb mirror measuring 27.6 feet across.

New “Metalens” Shifts Focus Without Tilting or Moving

The design may enable miniature zoom lenses for drones, cellphones, or night-vision goggles.

Nanoimaging of Perovskite Solar Cell Materials

Scientists have developed a new characterization tool that allowed them to gain unique insight into a possible alternative material for solar cells.

Overcoming the Optical Resolution Limit

When measuring with light, the lateral extent of the structures that can be resolved by an optical imaging system is fundamentally diffraction limited.

A Laser That Could Reshape the Landscape of Integrated Photonics

This technology will pave the way for new applications of integrated semiconductor lasers in LiDAR.

Deformation Fingerprints Will Help Researchers Identify, Design Better Metallic Materials

Researchers report that automated high-resolution electron imaging can capture the nanoscale deformation events that lead to metal failure and breakage.

Light-Analyzing ‘Lab on A Chip’ Opens Door to Widespread Use of Portable Spectrometers

The device is 100 percent electrically controllable regarding the colors of light it absorbs, which gives it massive potential for widespread usability.