Researchers have fabricated optical nanoantennae on the end face of a near-field probe. Using single fluorescent molecules, they measured the antennae’s resonance, excitation conditions and field localization, showing that the constructs are similar to the radio-frequency monopole antenna. The scientists, from Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques in Barcelona, Spain, and from the University of Twente in Enschede and the Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics in Amsterdam, both in the...

The latest LED innovation literally is the pits. Researchers in Takashi Egawa’s group at Nagoya Institute of Technology in Japan have increased the efficiency of gallium nitride LEDs by fabricating them with densely packed V-shaped craters that...

Automotive displays have come a long way from the analog electromechanical needle moving in front of printed numerals on a contrasting background. The mechanical modification of the indicator dials is a story in itself, with dark lettering on a...

Advancements in lighting sources and display technologies have enabled the development of new PDA-size automotive instrument clusters. In a space of just 3 to 4 inches, graphical symbols and different colors provide the driver with a range of...

The demand for high-energy laser systems has increased steadily in recent years, driven by applications in defense, semiconductor processing and basic research, among others. The systems range from those that are continuous wave (CW) to those with...

A major problem with ever-more-sophisticated automobiles is the growing amount of information provided to drivers. Increased information in dashboard displays diverts eyes from the road, creating a distraction that can lead to accidents. Head-up...

Although not dirt, zinc phosphide is cheap and abundant. Carefully synthesized structures of the material also have good optical efficiency and resist the buildup of an oxide layer on their surface. Together, these properties give the substance...

Silicon photonics holds the potential to create low-cost, highly integrated optical components using the same CMOS-based manufacturing techniques that have revolutionized the electronics industry over the past 40 years. This potential is important,...

David M. Weld and Aharon Kapitulnik of Stanford University in California recently demonstrated that even low-power lasers pack a punch. Using laser-driven radiation pressure force-feedback, they reduced the effective quality factor and temperature...

At heart, I’m a scientist and an engineer. I enjoy the process of figuring out how things work and how various pieces fit together to make an efficiently functioning system. The challenge of solving problems, whether in optics, information...

Gas phase chromatography and mass spectrometry often are used to analyze volcanic emissions because of their ability to detect low levels of trace gases. However, these techniques are limited by their instrumental complexity and inability to...

Although there is much publicity and debate in the US over the outsourcing of engineering jobs to countries that pay lower wages, the problem is the dearth of graduating engineers for those jobs.1 The challenge to US educators remains the same...

Spectroscopically scrutinizing chemicals within complex environments — such as inside cometary matter or combustible materials — is challenging because many molecules absorb and emit at similar wavelengths, confounding spectral analysis....

More than 25 years after machine vision appeared in the industrial automation marketplace, the technology has established itself as a necessary part of high-quality, cost-effective manufacturing. Over the past decade, the capabilities promised from...

The speed of light in vacuum (c ≈ 3 × 108 m/s) is an important physical constant that appears in Maxwell’s theory of electromagnetism. For this reason, scientists have endeavored to measure it with very high precision, making it...

Not long ago, nanometer-scale positioning was a laboratory curiosity. Today, the robust and responsive nanopositioning provided by piezoelectric actuation is more vital than ever in the lab and has become an essential commodity for industries...

At Sogang University in Seoul, South Korea, scientists have successfully incorporated lead sulfide quantum dots into zeolite-Y films and found high levels of third-order nonlinear optical activity. The material could be used for optical switches,...

Machine vision technology remains the key to quality, productivity and competitiveness in production. It also is extending beyond the traditional factory applications and beginning to conquer new markets such as robotic vision. In Europe and,...

The Wassenaar export controls exist to limit the shipment of products that have potential military applications to non-Wassenaar countries whose military and/or political motivations are unclear. The 40 Wassenaar countries (see table) agree on a...

Researchers at the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute of Daejeon, South Korea, have shown that, when it comes to getting a silicon quantum dot LED to shine, it helps to play rough — at least with the surface. The group enhanced...

Musicians and listeners alike have debated for centuries why instruments crafted by Italian master Antonio Stradivari have such a sublime sound. Modern technology may at last have found the answer. Researchers used solid-state nuclear magnetic...

Researchers at Harvard Medical School in Boston have developed two microscopy techniques: a near-field method that offers potentially better performance than other superresolution techniques and a “mirror tunnel” approach that promises...

Researchers at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., have synthesized PIN silicon nanowires with single-crystal structures and uniform diameters that demonstrate potential for use as avalanche photodetectors in integrated photonic systems. The...

Understanding the way that molecules operate means digging deeply — examining not only their structures, but also how they change shape under various conditions. Techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance and x-ray crystallography help...

Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing and at the University of California, Los Angeles, have demonstrated white LEDs that feature emission layers of the orange-emitting polymer...