Blog

Antireflection (AR) coatings have a long history in optics, in applications ranging from lenses to advanced imaging systems. But for plastic optics in certain applications, such as exterior solar concentrators, coming up with an AR coating tough enough to stand...

The development of a flat lens that works within a continual bandwidth of colors that are close to that of an LED could lead to novel applications in imaging, spectroscopy and sensing. The development is based on the 2016 discovery of...

With the amazing ability to survey areas in complete darkness, night-vision cameras have revolutionized the security industry. But the materials and technology embodied in current cameras tend to degrade under temperature stress, causing night-vision devices to frequently break. Read more...

The mechanical resistance of tumors and collateral damage caused by standard treatments often hinder efforts to defeat cancers. However, a team of researchers from the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), the French National Institute of Health and Medical...

An ultrafast high-contrast camera developed in Singapore could help self-driving cars and drones “see” better in adverse road and weather conditions. The smart camera, created by a team of scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), can record the slightest of...

Handheld spectrometers that use metalenses (lenses made of a metamaterial surface rather than ground and polished glass) have been created by Federico Capasso’s group at Harvard University’s John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS; Cambridge, MA). The...

A microscope that can chemically identify μm-sized particles could one day be used in airports and other high-security venues to rapidly screen people for microscopic amounts of potentially dangerous materials. Read more...