Photonics

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.

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.

Serial Arrayed Waveguide Grating

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

AI Image Analysis, Li-Fi and Quantum Processor Among 2023 PRISM Awards Winners

Photonics West 2023 featured the 15th annual gathering of the Prism Awards, a ceremony hosted by SPIE that honors and recognizes industrial innovation in...

NASA Targets 2026 for Launch of Israel's First Space Telescope

NASA will launch Israel’s first space telescope mission, the Ultraviolet Transient Astronomy Satellite (ULTRASAT). ULTRASAT, an ultraviolet observatory with a large field of...

Ignition Achievement Gives US New Opportunity to Lead World's IFE Research

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)’s historic achievement of fusion ignition Dec. 5 at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) positions the United States...

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.

European Defense Fund Project to Produce Strategic Electronics for Next Generation Infrared Sensors

Lynred, a global provider of infrared detectors for the aerospace, defense and commercial markets, recently announced the launch of HEROIC,...

NIF Laser Systems Chief Engineer to Discuss Historic Fusion Ignition Achievement at Photonics West 2023

On Dec. 5, 2022, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's (LLNL) Nuclear Ignition Facility (NIF) made history, demonstrating fusion...

Strengthening Electron-Triggered Light Emission

The way electrons interact with photons of light is a key part of many modern technologies, from lasers to solar panels to LEDs. But the interaction is inherently a weak one because of a major...

Test Your Knowledge About the James Webb Space Telescope

On July 12, 2022, the James Webb Space Telescope began its official science operations. Test your knowledge about Webb with this quiz.

A Drone to Protect Bats from Wind Turbines

A study has perhaps solved the wind-turbine issue of causing harm to bats.

A New Standard in Imagery

After 50 years of NASA’s Landsat, discovery of new commercial and scientific uses is only accelerating.

How a UV-Visible-NIR Range Microscope-Spectrometer Works

Discussing the basic design concepts of a UV-visible-NIR range microscope-spectrometer in several different configurations.

SPIE Photonics West 2023 Preview

The conference will showcase the latest innovations in lasers, photonics, optics, optoelectronics, biophotonics, biomedical optics, 3D printing, and more.

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.

Technique Merges Solar Cell and Liquid Battery

A highly efficient and long-lasting solar flow battery generates, stores, and redelivers renewable electricity from the Sun in one device.

World's Smallest Photon Achieved in Dielectric Nanocavity

Until recently, it was widely believed among physicists that it was impossible to compress light below the so-called diffraction limit, except when using metal nanoparticles, which...

UV-to-Red-Light Converting Films Accelerate Plant Growth

An interdisciplinary team from Hokkaido University’s Engineering and Agriculture departments and the Institute for Chemical Reaction Design and Discovery (WPI-ICReDD) has developed...

Miniaturized Infrared Detectors

Extreme miniaturization of infrared (IR) detectors is critical for their integration into next-generation consumer electronics, wearables and ultra-small satellites. Thus far, however, IR detectors have...