The spectrum of laser technologies available to hackers has gradually widened from basic gas lasers through CO2 tubes, diode lasers, and now fiber lasers. One of the newer entries is the MOPA laser, ...

One of the coolest things about physics is that the same basic concept can pop up in several seemingly unrelated things: say, a CD, the seed shrimp’s antennae, certain fossils in the Burgess shale, ...

Today, astronomers seek to observe the faintest and most distant objects possible. Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs), with apertures in the order of several dozen meters, are the next generation ...

What happens when a wave passes through some opening? It diffracts - or you like, you could say "bends". If the size of the opening is comparable to the wavelength of the wave, the bending can be ...

Scientists have found a way to trap light in an extremely thin layer, potentially reshaping how future photonic devices are ...

Here’s a great picture from [Jelly & Marshmallows] that shows off the wild effects of melted chocolate poured onto a diffraction grating. A diffraction grating is a kind of optical component whose ...

The scalloped pillars arranged in a rectangular lattice. The scale bar at the bottom right is 2 μm. (Courtesy: Grant England and colleagues) A material that is capable of the “reverse diffraction” of ...

Controlling light at the micro- and nanoscale opens up opportunities for a better understanding of the world and the ...