Photonics
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May 24 | News
Researchers in Germany have for years been studying fire beetles of the genus <i>Melanophila</i>
and their sophisticated infrared sensors, which these pyrophilous
insects use to detect forest fires. They have unraveled the functional
principle of this photomechanical sensor and have started to work on a
technical reconstruction.
May 21 | News
In
experiments with gamma rays in France, researchers have recently proven
that these extremely high-energy electromagnetic waves can be focused
by lenses like conventional light. This finding that gamma rays can be
refracted overturns a fundamental assumption of theoretical physics.
May 16 | News
By
combining the light of three powerful infrared telescopes, an
international research team has observed the active accretion phase of a
supermassive black hole in the center of a galaxy tens of millions of
light years away, a method that has yielded an unprecedented amount of
data for such observations.
May 15 | News
A
strong laser beam can remove an electron from an atom, a process that
occur almost instantaneously. Researchers in Austria have been able to
study this phenomenon with a time resolution of less than 10
attoseconds, allowing them to observe the atom being ionized and the
free electron being “born”.
May 9 | News
A
detailed description of development of the first practical device that
mimics the process of photosynthesis has recently been published in an
American Chemical Society journal. Unlike earlier devices, which used
costly ingredients, the new device is made from inexpensive materials
and employs low-cost engineering and manufacturing processes.
Apr 27 | News
Taking
their cue from the humble leaf, researchers have used microscopic folds
on the surface of photovoltaic material to significantly increase the
power output of flexible, low-cost solar cells. Though the work by
Princeton University researchers involved plastic-based cells that are
not yet in widespread use, they reported a substantial increase in
electricity generation through channeling of light waves.
Apr 27 | News
A
ring resonator is a key laser key component that plays a dual role by
acting both as a filter and a non-linear element. For the first time,
researchers have successfully integrated a resonator and a micro-ring in
the laser component that makes it possible to better control the light
source. This improvement in stability and precision should allow
designers to introduce ultra-small laser assemblies.
Apr 22 | News
Using
high-energy X-rays on a solid copper-oxide compound, researchers in Europe report witnessing the decay of an electron into two separate
parts, each carrying a particular property of the electron. One piece
is a spinon, which carries the electron’s spin, and the other is the
orbiton, which carries its orbital moment. The findings are the first
empirical evidence of the splitting on an electron in a material.
Apr 18 | News
Philips
recently announced that its EnduraLED 12.5 W bulb has met or exceeded
the quality and energy efficiency requirements for a 60 W light-emitting
diode (LED) equivalent set forth by the Environmental Protection
Agency’s Energy Star program. Philips was the only company to enter the
Department of Energy’s L Prize contest, which sought a product like the
EnduraLED.
Apr 16 | News
How
hydrogen—the most abundant element in the cosmos—responds to extremes
of pressure and temperature is one of the major challenges in modern
physical science. Carnegie Institution scientists have examined hydrogen
under pressures never before possible, discovering the extraordinary
stable of molecular hydrogen and its increasingly metallic nature at
high pressure.
