Photonics
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Mar 17 | News
Researchers at the Univ. of Rochester's Institute of Optics have discovered a way to make liquid flow vertically upward along a silicon surface, overcoming the pull of gravity, without pumps or other mechanical devices.
Feb 4 | News
MIT researchers have demonstrated the first laser built from germanium that can emit wavelengths of light useful for optical communications. It’s also the first germanium laser to operate at room temperature. Unlike the materials typically used in lasers, germanium is easy to incorporate into existing processes for manufacturing silicon chips.
Jan 12 | News
Northwestern Univ. researchers have developed compact, mid-infrared laser diodes that generate more light than heat—a breakthroughs in quantum cascade laser efficiency. The results are an important step toward use of quantum cascade lasers in a variety of applications, including remote sensing of hazardous chemicals.
12/22/2009 | News
Sandia National Laboratories scientists have developed tiny glitter-sized photovoltaic cells that could revolutionize the way solar energy is collected and used. The tiny cells could turn a person into a walking solar battery charger if they were fastened to flexible substrates molded around unusual shapes, such as clothing.
12/22/2009 | News
How safe are nanotechnology products that spill out of labs across the world? A group of researchers at Washington Univ. is devising instruments and protocols to assess the impact of nanoparticles on the environment and human health before they are sent to market.
12/15/2009 | News
Quantum optics researchers from the Univ. of Toronto have discovered new behaviours of light within photonic crystals that could lead to faster optical information processing and compact computers that don't overheat.
12/10/2009 | News
Terahertz rays can penetrate clothing, plastic, and human tissue, and are useful for differentiating chemicals. And they are safer than x-rays. But practical ways to generate these rays are hard to find, and tuning them still more difficult. The best generator is probably the quantum cascade laser, and now MIT scientists have announced the first practical method for tuning this type of laser.
12/3/2009 | News
Researchers have used lasers to create the first practical macroscopic yarns from boron nitride fibers, opening the door for an array of applications, from radiation-shielded spacecraft to stronger body armor. The researchers created a new technique to synthesize high-quality boron-nitride nanotubes (BNNTs).
12/2/2009 | News
Northwestern Univ. researchers have achieved a breakthrough in quantum cascade laser output power, delivering 120 watts from a single device at room temperature. The results are particularly attractive for infrared countermeasure, a way of misguiding incoming missiles to protect commercial and military aircrafts.
11/10/2009 | News
Engineers at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., have come up with a new twist on the popular old saying about dreaming and doing: "If you can slice it, we can build it." Layers are crucial in Electron Beam Freeform Fabrication, and its operation sounds like something from science fiction.