Photonics

Imaging Space Debris in High Resolution

A team has introduced a new method for taking high-res images of fast-moving and rotating objects in space, such as satellites or debris in low-Earth orbit.

Getting NASA Data to the Ground with Lasers

The Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) will usher in a new era of laser communications.

New 'Lightning' System Combines Light and Electrons for Faster, Greener Computing

Computing is at an inflection point. Moore’s Law, which predicts that the number of transistors on an electronic chip will double each year, is slowing down...

Can This New Camera Enable Lower Cost High-Speed Imaging?

Recording crystal-clear images of fast movements like falling water droplets or molecular interactions requires ultra-fast cameras that are capable of capturing millions of images...

Quantum Dot Breakthrough Could Create Cheaper Infrared Sensors

Scientists from the University of Chicago have demonstrated a way to create infrared light using colloidal quantum dots. The researchers said the method demonstrates great...

New Products: September 2023 Photonics & Imaging Insider

LWIR Thermal Imaging Cores LightPath Technologies Inc. (Orlando, FL), has introduced through its subsidiary Visimid Technologies, new high framerate long wave infrared ("LWIR")...

Pratt & Whitney, Virginia Tech Pioneer Laser-Optical Approach for Turbofan Engine Thrust Measurement

A longstanding partnership between Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) and Pratt & Whitney has resulted in a new laser-optical technology that aims to revolutionize in-flight thrust measurement.

Quality Check for OLED and μ-LED Displays Amid the Race for Ever Higher Resolution

The race for very high resolutions places increased demands not only on display manufacturers, but also on the suppliers of light measurement technology.

Photonic Integrated Circuit Testing: Accelerating R&D From Lab to Fab

While the promise of smaller, better, faster, lighter devices enabled by integrated photonics technologies is indeed the ultimate goal for AIM Photonics, the actual path to high-volume manufacturing isn’t necessarily a smooth ride for PIC designers, developers, and engineers.

Novel Light-Field Sensor for 3D Scene Construction Has Unprecedented Angular Resolution

A research team has developed a 3D imaging sensor that has an extremely high angular resolution — it can distinguish points of an object separated by an angular distance, of as little as 0.0018°. The sensor operates on a unique angle-to-color conversion principle.

A First-Of-Its-Kind Integrated Optical Isolator

A team of researchers led by electrical engineer Marko Lončar at SEAS has developed a method for building a highly efficient integrated isolator that’s seamlessly incorporated into an optical chip made of lithium niobate.

New Products

See the new products, including a handheld NIR spectrometer, a Boson+ thermal camera module, next-generation pump laser diode, and much more.

New Microchip Could Monitor Earth’s Climate, Human Health

A team at Delft University of Technology has built a new technology on a microchip by combining two Nobel Prize-winning techniques for the first time. This microchip could measure distances in materials at high precision — e.g., underwater or for medical imaging.

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...

Engineering the Flow of Light

A novel nanostructure produces uniquely shaped light.

Nanoscale 3D Structure to Control Light

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

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.

NASA, Rocket Lab Launch First Pair of Storm Observing CubeSats

Two NASA CubeSats designed to study tropical cyclones, including hurricanes and typhoons, are in orbit after a successful launch.

Light-Based Computing Scheme Reduces Power Needed to Mine Cryptocurrencies

Researchers have developed a new light-based computing scheme that uses a photonic integrated circuit to reduce the energy necessary for cryptocurrency and...

Optical Neural Networks Could Speed Image Processing Time

Cornell researchers have developed an optical neural network (ONN) that can filter relevant information from a scene before the visual image is detected by a camera, a method that...

Controlling the Grind for Precision Photonics

As the tolerances for photonics systems become more demanding, controlling the grinding of optical components must also become more precise.

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.

New Products

See the New Products, including Variable Beam Expander, a modulator, Smart Fixture Mount Sensors, a pluggable module, and more.

Light-Based Optical Computing for Ultrafast Electronics

Physicists achieved optical switching of a light signal at attosecond speeds to reach previously unattainable data transfer speeds.