https://www.laserfocusworld.com/science-research The laserfocusworld.com Science & Research channel includes articles and other content spotlighting the latest research advances and scientific discoveries related to photonics and optics. EN https://www.laserfocusworld.com/detectors-imaging/article/55269082/black-germanium-boosts-infrared-photodiode-responsivity https://www.laserfocusworld.com/detectors-imaging/article/55269082/black-germanium-boosts-infrared-photodiode-responsivity Researchers create a germanium infrared photodiode that’s 35% more responsive at 1.55 µm—a common wavelength for telecommunications—than its other germanium and indium gallium arsenide counterparts. 19 Feb 2025 14:54:29 GMT sallyj@endeavorb2b.com (Sally Cole Johnson) Detectors & Imaging (Photo credit: Mikko Raskinen) Professor Hele Savin (left) and her group used the Micronova micro- and nanofabrication center at Aalto University to fabricate their germanium infrared photodiodes. https://www.laserfocusworld.com/podcasts/article/55268854/podcast-interview-with-andrea-armani-university-of-southern-california https://www.laserfocusworld.com/podcasts/article/55268854/podcast-interview-with-andrea-armani-university-of-southern-california Episode 39 of Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast features Dr. Andrea Armani, senior director of engineering and physical sciences at the Ellison Medical Institute and longtime professor at the University of Southern California. 18 Feb 2025 17:40:41 GMT jmurphy@endeavorb2b.com (Justine Murphy) Podcasts © Endeavor Business Media https://www.laserfocusworld.com/bio-life-sciences/article/55268213/first-of-its-kind-chromatic-sensor-detects-plant-distress https://www.laserfocusworld.com/bio-life-sciences/article/55268213/first-of-its-kind-chromatic-sensor-detects-plant-distress It’s not always easy to tell if a plant is dehydrated, and sometimes it’s too late to save it. But a sensor designed by an international team of scientists detects distress in plants before it’s even visible. 17 Feb 2025 05:00:00 GMT jmurphy@endeavorb2b.com (Justine Murphy) Bio&Life Sciences (Image credit: SMART DiSTAP) Lead researchers Dr. Song Wang (left), a research scientist at SMART DiSTAP, and Dr. Yangyang Han (right), a senior postdoctoral associate at SMART DiSTAP. https://www.laserfocusworld.com/lasers-sources/article/55265914/bio-inspired-approach-harvests-sunlight-and-converts-it-into-laser-beams-in-space https://www.laserfocusworld.com/lasers-sources/article/55265914/bio-inspired-approach-harvests-sunlight-and-converts-it-into-laser-beams-in-space A new way to power space missions piggybacks on bacteria's efficient light-harvesting abilities to create sunlight-powered lasers—and could enable power transmission between satellites and lunar bases, while also advancing Earth-based applications in photonics and quantum technologies. 07 Feb 2025 05:00:00 GMT e.gauger@hw.ac.uk (Erik Gauger) Lasers & Sources (Image credit: Nativo Calavera) FIGURE 1. Transforming bacteria into solar-powered lasers: we extract light-harvesting structures from bacteria (left), enhance them with proprietary specially engineered lasing units (middle), and place them into a lasing cavity (right) to create a new type of laser that runs directly on sunlight. The natural light-gathering rings (green/purple) of purple bacteria measure 60-nm across and achieve near-perfect efficiency in energy transfer of captured photons. https://www.laserfocusworld.com/detectors-imaging/article/55263440/breakthrough-material-for-broadband-photodetectors-gii https://www.laserfocusworld.com/detectors-imaging/article/55263440/breakthrough-material-for-broadband-photodetectors-gii A sustainable carbon nanomaterial “Gii” is poised to revolutionize broadband photodetectors because it can absorb the full spectrum of light—from ultraviolet to infrared. 06 Feb 2025 05:00:00 GMT des.gibson@uws.ac.uk (Des Gibson) Detectors & Imaging (Image credit: iGii) Gii: A pure, porous three-dimensional carbon nanostructure poised to revolutionize sensing. https://www.laserfocusworld.com/quantum/article/55253615/light-based-technologies-at-nanyang-technological-university-illuminate-quantum-computing https://www.laserfocusworld.com/quantum/article/55253615/light-based-technologies-at-nanyang-technological-university-illuminate-quantum-computing In this Q&A, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) researchers Professor Baile Zhang and Professor Leong Chuan Kwek share the inspiration and concepts behind the photonic chips they’ve each developed that could usher in the era of quantum computers. Kwek is also a principal investigator at Singapore’s Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT), a national research center. 27 Jan 2025 05:00:00 GMT Quantum (Photo credit: Quantum Science and Engineering Centre, NTU) Photo of the quantum photonic chip that predicts the chemical properties of molecules. https://www.laserfocusworld.com/optics/article/55259682/super-photon-enables-tap-proof-communications https://www.laserfocusworld.com/optics/article/55259682/super-photon-enables-tap-proof-communications A new ability to generate complex states of light could hold the key to significantly more secure communications. 23 Jan 2025 05:00:00 GMT jmurphy@endeavorb2b.com (Justine Murphy) Optics (Photo credit: Volker Lannert/University of Bonn) Researchers at the University of Bonn’s Institute of Applied Physics—shown here (from left) Niels Wolf, Prof. Dr. Martin Weitz, Andreas Redmann, Dr. Frank Vewinger, and Dr. Julian Schmitt—have designed an approach that generates complex states of light. https://www.laserfocusworld.com/lasers-sources/article/55258036/ultrabroadband-uv-frequency-combs-show-promise-for-high-res-atomic-and-molecular-spectroscopy https://www.laserfocusworld.com/lasers-sources/article/55258036/ultrabroadband-uv-frequency-combs-show-promise-for-high-res-atomic-and-molecular-spectroscopy High-res dual-comb spectroscopy system generates light across two ultrabroadband ultraviolet (UV) spectral regions. 15 Jan 2025 05:00:00 GMT sallyj@endeavorb2b.com (Sally Cole Johnson) Lasers & Sources (Photo credit: Konstantin Vodopyanov/CREOL) The team’s dual-comb spectroscopy system produces precise and stable frequencies. https://www.laserfocusworld.com/optics/article/55253087/photonic-time-crystals-reimagined https://www.laserfocusworld.com/optics/article/55253087/photonic-time-crystals-reimagined By expanding the momentum bandgap of photonic time crystals via resonant structures, researchers make a crucial advance toward practical photonic time crystals at optical frequencies—and it may change how we control light in the future. 09 Jan 2025 05:00:00 GMT sallyj@endeavorb2b.com (Sally Cole Johnson) Optics (Image credit: Xuchen Wang) FIGURE 1. A time-varying resonant metasurface: The meta-atom is described by time-modulated surface capacitance and a constant surface inductance. A red arrow depicts a surface eigenmode with amplitude growing in time because its wavenumber is within the metasurface’s momentum bandgap. https://www.laserfocusworld.com/optics/article/55252972/thin-film-polariton-filters-for-better-displays-sensors-and-optical-imaging https://www.laserfocusworld.com/optics/article/55252972/thin-film-polariton-filters-for-better-displays-sensors-and-optical-imaging By tapping into the quantum mechanical principle of strong light-matter coupling, researchers manage to outmaneuver the problem of angular dependence within optical systems. 06 Jan 2025 15:22:55 GMT sallyj@endeavorb2b.com (Sally Cole Johnson) Optics (Image credit: Andreas Mischok) https://www.laserfocusworld.com/lasers-sources/article/55235971/hubner-photonics-a-div-of-hubner-gmbh-co-kg-modulated-laser-offers-100-mw-output-power https://www.laserfocusworld.com/lasers-sources/article/55235971/hubner-photonics-a-div-of-hubner-gmbh-co-kg-modulated-laser-offers-100-mw-output-power An orange wavelength has been added on the Cobolt 06-01 Series of modulated lasers. 23 Dec 2024 05:00:00 GMT Lasers & Sources (Image credit: HÜBNER Photonics) https://www.laserfocusworld.com/detectors-imaging/article/55235923/craic-technologies-confocal-raman-microscope-supports-multimodal-imaging-techniques https://www.laserfocusworld.com/detectors-imaging/article/55235923/craic-technologies-confocal-raman-microscope-supports-multimodal-imaging-techniques The Apollo M confocal Raman microscope is designed for materials research, nanotechnology, and semiconductor analysis. 21 Dec 2024 05:00:00 GMT Detectors & Imaging (Image credit: CRAIC Technologies) https://www.laserfocusworld.com/quantum/article/55246039/bright-squeezed-vacuum-pulses-generate-high-harmonics https://www.laserfocusworld.com/quantum/article/55246039/bright-squeezed-vacuum-pulses-generate-high-harmonics Using a bright squeezed vacuum to generate high harmonics enhances their yields—compared to classical coherent light—and provides a route to probe material properties beyond the damage threshold. 20 Dec 2024 05:00:00 GMT sallyj@endeavorb2b.com (Sally Cole Johnson) Quantum (Image credit: Francesco Tani) This schematic shows the differences between classical optics vs. quantum optics for the team’s work. https://www.laserfocusworld.com/quantum/article/55246630/novel-quasicrystal-design-further-green-lights-topological-study-of-light https://www.laserfocusworld.com/quantum/article/55246630/novel-quasicrystal-design-further-green-lights-topological-study-of-light A new quasicrystal design process—that enabled a structure with a 12-fold rotational symmetry—may prove useful for many photonic applications beyond plasmonics. 16 Dec 2024 05:00:00 GMT sallyj@endeavorb2b.com (Sally Cole Johnson) Quantum (Image credit: K. Arjas et al., Nat. Commun., 15, 9544 [2024]; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-53952-5) Vortex laser pattern from 12-fold rotationally symmetric quasicrystal structure. https://www.laserfocusworld.com/bio-life-sciences/article/55248725/two-photon-microscope-cracks-neural-networks-code https://www.laserfocusworld.com/bio-life-sciences/article/55248725/two-photon-microscope-cracks-neural-networks-code A novel fluorescence microscope offers enhanced insight into how different neurons in the brain communicate and interact. 13 Dec 2024 05:00:00 GMT jmurphy@endeavorb2b.com (Justine Murphy) Bio&Life Sciences (Image credit: Wei Wei and Mei Xueting) Depiction of the adaptive sampling scheme, in which a laser beam patterned by a digital micromirror device selectively illuminates neurons and their activity in brain tissue. https://www.laserfocusworld.com/optics/article/55246710/optoacoustic-neural-networks https://www.laserfocusworld.com/optics/article/55246710/optoacoustic-neural-networks Birgit Stiller’s lab at Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL) in Erlangen and Leibniz University Hannover is pioneering building blocks for optoacoustic neural networks. 12 Dec 2024 05:00:00 GMT sallyj@endeavorb2b.com (Sally Cole Johnson) Optics (Photo credit: Susanne Viezens) Birgit Stiller and Steven Becker in the lab with their setup. https://www.laserfocusworld.com/detectors-imaging/article/55243710/holographic-direct-sound-printing-sound-waves-revolutionize-3d-printing https://www.laserfocusworld.com/detectors-imaging/article/55243710/holographic-direct-sound-printing-sound-waves-revolutionize-3d-printing Holographic direct sound printing (HDSP) is an innovative advancement in sound-based 3D printing technology that uses a patterned acoustic field to create complex shapes with high precision and speed. 11 Dec 2024 05:00:00 GMT Detectors & Imaging FIGURE 1. Schematic of the HDSP setup (a), printed parts with line cross-section and different extrusion paths for parts 1-3 (b), and a complex object in 4 with the shown pressure pattern in the inset. https://www.laserfocusworld.com/optics/article/55246049/clear-cooling-film-regulates-solar-heat https://www.laserfocusworld.com/optics/article/55246049/clear-cooling-film-regulates-solar-heat A transparent film based on radiative cooling could someday help regulate solar heat for environmental applications and architecture. 06 Dec 2024 05:00:00 GMT jmurphy@endeavorb2b.com (Justine Murphy) Optics (Image credit: B. Ko et al., Adv. Funct. Mater.; doi:10.1002/adfm.202410613) External cooling performance of the radiative cooler. https://www.laserfocusworld.com/optics/article/55244446/optical-transmission-of-polaroid-sheet-polarizers-and-neutral-density-filters https://www.laserfocusworld.com/optics/article/55244446/optical-transmission-of-polaroid-sheet-polarizers-and-neutral-density-filters Neutral-density (ND) filters and polarizers are two common optical components for applications within the visible and near-infrared (NIR) ranges. We measured light transmission spectra of sheet polarizers and ND filters from 200 to 2500 nm to show their usefulness within the visible and NIR regions. 05 Dec 2024 05:00:00 GMT mpena010@citymail.cuny.edu (Michael Pena) Optics FIGURE 1. Schematic of a system used to analyze carbon disulfide (CS2) Kerr gate [3]. It highlights the importance of polarizing sheets (magenta dotted boxes) and ND filters (blue dotted boxes). https://www.laserfocusworld.com/optics/article/55245671/hidden-deformations-within-complex-light-fields https://www.laserfocusworld.com/optics/article/55245671/hidden-deformations-within-complex-light-fields By carefully observing aberrations of a complex light field reflected from a surface, its refractive index and thickness can be inferred. 04 Dec 2024 05:00:00 GMT sallyj@endeavorb2b.com (Sally Cole Johnson) Optics (Illustration by Rafael Barros/Tampere University) The reflection of a twisted light field from an object reveals the topological aberration effect. https://www.laserfocusworld.com/quantum/article/55246572/quantum-electrodynamics-theory-unveils-precise-shape-of-a-single-photon https://www.laserfocusworld.com/quantum/article/55246572/quantum-electrodynamics-theory-unveils-precise-shape-of-a-single-photon New theory developed by Angela Demetriadou and Benjamin Yuen at the University of Birmingham in the U.K. explains how light and matter interact at the quantum level—at last! 02 Dec 2024 14:41:44 GMT sallyj@endeavorb2b.com (Sally Cole Johnson) Quantum (Image credit: Benjamin Yuen) The “shape” (expected intensity distribution) of a single photon emitted by an atom on the surface of a silicon nanoparticle. https://www.laserfocusworld.com/bio-life-sciences/article/55245396/light-therapy-approach-better-treats-brain-injuries https://www.laserfocusworld.com/bio-life-sciences/article/55245396/light-therapy-approach-better-treats-brain-injuries Photobiomodulation could soon expand its effectiveness beyond tissue repair and pain management into the brain. 25 Nov 2024 05:00:00 GMT jmurphy@endeavorb2b.com (Justine Murphy) Bio&Life Sciences (Image credit: A. Stevens et al., Bioeng. Transl. Med.; https://doi.org/10.1002/btm2.10727) H&E staining on rat brain coronal slices from all treatment conditions at three days post-injury and four weeks post-injury. Images were taken from frontal cortex, corpus callosum, and choroid plexus (body of the lateral ventricle). https://www.laserfocusworld.com/detectors-imaging/article/55234415/andor-technology-scmos-camera-detects-trace-concentrations-of-species https://www.laserfocusworld.com/detectors-imaging/article/55234415/andor-technology-scmos-camera-detects-trace-concentrations-of-species The Marana 4.2B-6 back-illuminated 4.2-Mpixel scientific CMOS (sCMOS) model now offers a low noise mode with read noise of 1.0 e-. 21 Nov 2024 05:00:00 GMT Detectors & Imaging (Image credit: Oxford Instruments Andor) https://www.laserfocusworld.com/optics/article/55244048/ultrafast-chirality-optical-switching https://www.laserfocusworld.com/optics/article/55244048/ultrafast-chirality-optical-switching Cavity-enhanced Floquet engineering significantly improves the efficiency and speed of integrated optical communications. 21 Nov 2024 05:00:00 GMT sallyj@endeavorb2b.com (Sally Cole Johnson) Optics (Photo credit: Yuhui Wang) Professor Hui Deng (left), Lingxiao Zhou, and Chenxi Liu in the lab. https://www.laserfocusworld.com/optics/article/55244256/photonic-time-crystals-breakthrough https://www.laserfocusworld.com/optics/article/55244256/photonic-time-crystals-breakthrough A breakthrough in photonic time crystals may end up reshaping the way light is used and controlled—good news for future lasers, nanosensors, and optical computing. 21 Nov 2024 05:00:00 GMT sallyj@endeavorb2b.com (Sally Cole Johnson) Optics (Image credit: Xuchen Wang/Aalto University) “This work could lead to the first experimental realization of photonic time crystals, propelling them into practical applications and potentially transforming industries," says Professor Viktar Asadchy from Aalto University, Finland.