Commercial systems that harness the power of light are allowing researchers to probe carbon nanomaterials, biomolecular structures, and the quantum and atomic worlds
James McKenzie reflects on the impact of the solid-state laser, a device in its infancy when it became the subject of one of the first articles in Physics Worl...
An on-chip system exploits the Purcell effect to deliver rapid pulses of single photons
Device could find practical applications in optical circuits
The technique has been used to induce tissue folding and shaping in a live embryo for the first time
Stretchy device lases at different wavelengths thanks to hybrid quadrupole plasmons
Researchers calculate how light noise is suppressed as a function of crystal size
Lasing by stimulating acoustic vibrations in a silicon waveguide may bring integrated silicon photonics a step closer
Take a look inside our latest free-to-read focus on optics and photonics. Answering key questions and covering the latest features and products for those interested in innovation and industry, this issue is a must-read for those working in optics and photonics.
Physics World journalists reflect on the 2018 Nobel Prize for Physics
Trio win “for groundbreaking inventions in the field of laser physics”
New material transports excitons over length scales comparable to the optical absorption depth
Episode one of our new weekly podcast focuses on optics and photonics
Reducing the interactions between electrons and phonons in these layered materials makes them emit brighter light
The day aims to be “an annual focal point" for the role that light plays
James McKenzie celebrates the huge commercial success of lasers and light-emitting diodes
The first ever International Day of Light takes place on 16 May 2018
How optical technologies developed for astronomers are making their mark in other fields
Cather Simpson tells the "start-up story" of Engender, which uses photonics technology to sort bull sperm by sex for the dairy industry
Janelle Shane explains how improvements in lidar steering technologies could pay off for autonomous vehicles
Peter Leibinger, chief technology officer at the industrial laser and machine-tool firm TRUMPF, discusses progress in additive manufacturing
The vergence-accommodation conflict is one of the thorniest problems in virtual reality optics. Margaret Harris assesses strategies for tackling it
Shifting microstructures allow device to adapt properties as temperature changes
Different surface sites can “talk” to each other in ways that are very similar to catalytic allostery in enzymes – nature’s most efficient nanoscale catalysts
Semiconductor system could simulate cuprate superconductors
Topological insulator lasers achieve high efficiency and single-mode lasing at high gains
Technique could be used to create quantum-information systems
E A Seddon et al 2017 Rep. Prog. Phys. 80 115901
Read on IOPscienceJ P Wolf 2018 Rep. Prog. Phys. 81 026001
Read on IOPscienceGrant T England and Joanna Aizenberg 2018 Rep. Prog. Phys. 81 016402
Read on IOPscience
