Scientists have finally packed a laboratory-class ultrafast laser onto a tiny photonic chip. Ultrafast lasers generate bursts of light that last only a few hundred femtoseconds, each one just a quadrillionth of a second long. These extremely short pulses are used in a wide range of technologies, including precision manufacturing, eye surgery, and optical frequency [...]

Stanford researchers have developed a microscope that can show how nanostructures interact inside living cells at the highest resolution achieved so far. The view into living cells just got better. Stanford researchers have merged two microscopy methods to build a unique instrument that can capture cell structures interacting in real time at an unprecedented resolution [...]

Researchers have developed a deep-learning-based surrogate model that dramatically speeds up simulations of nonlinear optical processes used in advanced laser systems. Simulating the complex optical behavior behind ultrafast laser systems requires enormous computing power, creating a major challenge for experiments that depend on rapid feedback. Researchers from Stanford University, the…

The technology could support advances in high-speed communication systems, sensing tools, biological materials, and medical technologies. Researchers at McGill University have created a new device that produces phonons, which are particles associated with sound, under extremely cold conditions. The work could help pave the way for phonon lasers, a technology with potential uses in communication…

A new sound-based laser could measure gravity with unprecedented precision and reshape navigation technology. Since their introduction in the 1960s, lasers have fueled major advances in science and everyday technology, from supermarket scanners to eye surgery. Traditional lasers operate by controlling photons, which are particles of light. Over the past two decades, researchers have expanded [...]

MIT researchers found that chaotic laser light can transform into a precise, stable beam. This breakthrough enables much faster, high-resolution imaging of how drugs move into the brain. Researchers at MIT have identified an unexpected effect in optical physics that could lead to a new kind of bioimaging technology with both higher speed and strong [...]

A novel imaging method captures ultrafast events with unprecedented detail by combining laser encoding and AI reconstruction. Researchers have introduced a new imaging method that reveals far more detail about ultrafast events in the microscopic world than earlier approaches. The technique allows scientists to observe and study processes that occur within hundreds of femtoseconds with [...]

A new laser-powered wireless system uses light to deliver data at speeds exceeding 360 Gbps. It could enable faster, more efficient indoor networks while reducing interference and energy use. Modern life runs on fast, reliable wireless connections. Video calls, streaming, virtual reality, and connected devices all depend on networks that already support billions of users. [...]

Caltech’s new fiber-like photonic chips achieve record-low visible-light loss, enabling more coherent lasers and next-generation quantum and sensing technologies. Caltech researchers have created a technique that allows light to travel across silicon wafers with extremely low signal loss, nearing the performance of optical fiber even at visible wavelengths. Achieving this level of efficiency on a…