optical

NASA’s DSOC experiment, aboard the Psyche spacecraft, has successfully demonstrated the farthest-ever optical communication using a near-infrared laser from 10 million miles away. This milestone, managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, marks a significant advancement in space communication technology, promising higher data transmission rates for future deep space missions. Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechDSOC, an experiment that could transform how spacecraft communicate, has achieved ‘first light,’ sending data via laser to…

Light is extremely confined in a nanoslit in a coupled-nanowire-pair. Credit: Zhejiang University Nanophotonics Group led by Limin TongWaveguiding scheme enables highly confined subnanometer optical fields.Researchers have pioneered a novel method for confining light to subnanometer scales. This development offers promising potential for advancements in areas such as light-matter interactions and super-resolution nanoscopy.Advancements in Light Confinement TechnologyImagine shrinking light down to the size of a tiny water…

Artistic rendering of the experimental device with the beam optical photons (red) entering and leaving the electro-optic crystal and resonating within its circular portion as well as the generated microwave photons (blue) leaving the device. Credit: Eli Krantz, Krantz NanoArtFor the very first time, researchers at ISTA entangled microwave and optical photons.Quantum computing holds the potential to tackle complex issues in fields like material science and cryptography, problems that will remain out of reach even for the…

Schematic illustration of time-resolved spectroscopy for the light-induced phase of molecules proposed based on the new quantum theory. Emission signal is collected in the detector after the laser pulses that excite molecules, yielding multi-dimensional imaging of exciton dynamics in real-time domain. Credit: Dr. Zhedong Zhang/City University of Hong KongA new quantum theory developed by scientists at the City University of Hong Kong provides unprecedented insights into the ‘light-induced phase’ of matter, offering…

Optical illusions are tricky little things. Often they can leave us scratching our heads, trying to figure out how the illusion is tricking our eyes and our brain. One type of illusion, known as a “simultaneous contrast illusion,” may finally have an explanation, though, according to a new study. See that image at the top of the article? While it might seem like the gray rectangle in the middle is composed of two different colors at first glance, it’s actually just one color, though it appears to be two…

By David L. Chandler, Massachusetts Institute of Technology June 25, 2023MIT researchers have discovered that novel photovoltaic nanoparticles can emit streams of identical photons, potentially paving the way for new quantum computing technologies and quantum teleportation devices.The device emits a stream of single photons and could provide a basis for optical quantum computers.Using novel materials that have been widely studied as potential new solar photovoltaics, researchers at <span class="glossaryLink"…

Spire Global, in partnership with ESA, has launched a second pair of satellites designed to communicate with each other securely using light-based optical inter-satellite links. These satellites will demonstrate the ability to transmit more than 1 GB of data securely within a short window of direct visibility, over distances equivalent to 5000 km, similar to the distance from Glasgow to New York. Credit: SpaceXSpire Global, in partnership with the <span class="glossaryLink" aria-describedby="tt"…

New research in structured light means researchers can exploit the many patterns of light as an encoding alphabet without worrying about how noisy the channel is. Credit: Wits UniversityA new approach to optical communication that can be deployed with conventional technology.The patterns of light hold tremendous promise for a large encoding alphabet in optical communications, but progress is hindered by their susceptibility to distortion, such as in atmospheric turbulence or in bent optical fiber.  Now researchers at the…

Xiaomi 14 Pro is reportedly in the works and it is anticipated to go official in November this year alongside the Xiaomi 14. The Chinese smartphone brand is yet to confirm any details regarding the Xiaomi 14 series, but ahead of it, a known tipster from China has shared some camera specifications of the handsets online. The Xiaomi 14 and Xiaomi 14 Pro are said to come with periscope zoom cameras. Qualcomm's next-generation flagship SoC is expected to power the handsets. The Xiaomi 14 Pro is tipped to be backed by a…

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra cameraThe new rumours suggest that the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra might ditch the dual zoom sensor system that was introduced with the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. In its current iteration, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra uses a 10MP telephoto camera with 10x zoom and a 10MP secondary telephoto camera with 3x zoom. If the new rumours are true, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra might take a new 5x telephoto sensor with variable zoom capabilities, thereby moving towards a triple camera system.  However,…