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  • Volume 59, Issue 10

    • Volume 59, Issue 10

    FIGURE 1. International shipping is a major producer of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants, contributing to rising temperatures, climate change, and premature cardiopulmonary and lung cancer deaths.
    Test & Measurement

    UV spectroscopy becomes a powerhouse for emissions monitoring

    Cory Boone
    Sept. 22, 2023
    Spectroscopy is a powerful tool with a vast array of applications—and it can be used to protect the environment by monitoring and regulating air pollution.
    (Photo credit: Jeonghui Kim)
    Jee Yung Park looks at some of the perovskite crystals in the lab.
    Optics

    A new class of hybrid perovskites brings tunability and stability

    Sally Cole Johnson
    Sept. 21, 2023
    Organic semiconductor-incorporated perovskites (OSIP) add both tunability and stability—and maintain the optoelectronic properties of conventional perovskites.
    (Image credit: Flexcompute)
    FIGURE 1. Schematic illustration of the PSR (a), simulated mode conversion efficiencies at the top and bottom waveguides with TE0 mode as the input (b), and simulated mode conversion efficiencies at the top and bottom waveguides with TM0 mode as the input (c) are shown. The insets show the field intensity plots.
    Software & Accessories

    Breaking time barriers: Millimeter-scale photonic simulations in minutes

    Tom Chen
    Sept. 20, 2023
    Two case studies demonstrate the transformative impact of advanced parallel computing on the field of computational electromagnetics.
    Photo 188125570 © | Dreamstime.com
    Dreamstime Xxl 188125570
    Commentary

    Keeping an eye on critical value streams

    Patricia Panchak
    Sept. 19, 2023
    With ever-accelerating scientific and technical advancements, it’s more critical than ever to understand the state of innovation value streams — especially those poised to catalyze...
    (Photo credit: Charles Jischke, Purdue University)
    FIGURE 1. Purdue researcher Bartek Rajwa (left) and Purdue postdoctoral fellow Sungho Shin review data produced with a portable LIBS spectroscopy device.
    Test & Measurement

    LIBS addresses food fraud

    Justine Murphy
    Sept. 19, 2023
    Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has shown potential for analyzing geological and archaeological materials for scientific research. Now, it’s proven it can do more ...

    More content from Volume 59, Issue 10

    (Photo credit: Esco Optics)
    Ryan Hegarty (left) and Stephen Long (right) inspect a run of windows on a double-sided polisher.
    Optics

    Advancing optical manufacturing for future applications

    Lee Steneken
    Sept. 18, 2023
    Precision optics manufacturing plays a crucial role in telecommunications, aerospace and defense, healthcare, and consumer electronics. But as the field experiences a notable ...
    (Photo credit: Maria Chekhova’s Lab)
    Maria Chekhova in her lab.
    Optics

    Metasurfaces generate complex quantum states

    Sally Cole Johnson
    Sept. 15, 2023
    The future of metasurfaces as sources of quantum states stems from their multifunctionality—researchers can simultaneously support several nonlinear effects, or linear and nonlinear...
    (Courtesy of Lei Yang, Hefei University of Technology)
    FIGURE 1. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) experimental system.
    Test & Measurement

    LIBS approach makes recyclable waste easier to ID and classify

    Justine Murphy
    Sept. 14, 2023
    Identification, classification, and management of recyclable waste materials has become faster and more precise, thanks to a spectroscopy technique that detects different materials...
    (Photo credit: TAU Systems)
    White light from a laser-generated air plasma is incident on the pointing screen of the TAU Systems electron spectrometer.
    Executive Forum

    Bridging the gap: Affordable laser research tools revolutionize academia and industry

    Bjorn “Manuel” Hegelich
    Sept. 13, 2023
    The democratization of research tools has the potential to foster greater innovation, collaboration, and accelerated product development.
    (Courtesy of Zubin Jacob)
    FIGURE 1. Lead researcher Zubin Jacob, an Elmore professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University.
    Detectors & Imaging

    Thermal imaging approach turns night into day

    Justine Murphy
    Sept. 12, 2023
    Alone, thermal imaging and IR imaging each tend to generate vague imagery—and it poses risks for robotics, AI, and autonomous technologies. But together, they may be a force to...
    (Courtesy of MIT)
    FIGURE 1. A sensor developed by researchers from MIT and the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences was inspired by the membrane that surrounds all cells and could someday be used to screen patients for hard-to-diagnose cancers or other diseases.
    Bio&Life Sciences

    Biomimetic sensor could speed disease detection

    Justine Murphy
    Sept. 11, 2023
    Many lives could be saved and pain alleviated if disease screening and detection were simpler and faster—and it’s exactly what an international team of researchers is working ...
    (Photo credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
    FIGURE 1. DSOC’s flight laser transceiver.
    Lasers & Sources

    Laser comms hitch a ride to deep space on Psyche spacecraft (UPDATED)

    Sally Cole Johnson
    Sept. 8, 2023
    NASA is putting laser comms to the test in deep space—300 million kilometers (186 million miles) away.
    (Image credit: Fraunhofer IOSB/indigo)
    FIGURE 1. SPAD detector enables 3D measurements with quantum ghost imaging.
    Detectors & Imaging

    Single-photon avalanche diode detector enables 3D quantum ghost imaging

    Sally Cole Johnson
    Sept. 5, 2023
    Researchers in Germany create a new twist on quantum ghost imaging.
    (Courtesy of Michael Baker)
    FIGURE 1. Along 37.4 km of the fiber optic cable, the researchers observed abrupt changes up to about 10 km that occurred in less than 24 hours.
    Fiber Optics

    Sensing method uses fiber-optic cable to track sea ice

    Justine Murphy
    Sept. 4, 2023
    Global temperatures are soaring, sea ice is retreating. Climate change is real, and it’s happening fast. Scientists are turning to fiber-optic cables and sensors to monitor sea...
    (Image credit: Rohit Chikkaraddy/University of Birmingham)
    MIR vibrationally assisted luminescence (MIRVAL).
    Science & Research

    Quantum system detects mid-infrared light at room temperature

    Sally Cole Johnson
    Sept. 1, 2023
    U.K. scientists tap quantum systems to convert invisible mid-infrared photons into visible photons via molecular emitters—a breakthrough that may provide new insights into how...
    (Photo credit: PlanOpSim)
    Lieven Penninck, founder and CEO of PlanOpSim.
    Executive Forum

    PlanOpSim and metamaterials customization

    Jose Pozo
    July 31, 2023
    Jose Pozo, Optica’s CTO, talks to Lieven Penninck, founder and CEO of PlanOpSim, about his vision for metalens design and simulation.