Optics

What links a wildfire raging across a forest to the electric signals rippling through our hearts? Enter the world of waves in excitable media.
Yuen Yiu, Staff Writer
Instead of packing more pixels into displays, engineers are learning how to trick our eyes and brains to see higher resolutions in the virtual world.
Yuen Yiu, Staff Writer
Researchers developed a way to weld pieces of brittle ceramics together using a laser that fires a million times per second.
Yuen Yiu, Staff Writer
Regular improvements in so-called optical clocks are setting the stage for a redefinition of the second and powering searches for new laws of physics.
Catherine Meyers, Editor
Researchers have embedded gold particles in soft films that dissipate light energy at the surface of the eye and could have future medical uses.
Bailey Bedford, Contributor
New proof of concept could guard against the disorienting effects of laser pointers invading the cockpit.
Chris Gorski, Editor
Scientists use ordinary equipment to reveal a hidden picture based on its shadow.
Marcus Woo, Contributor
New imaging technique could help study the structure of viruses and proteins and the deformation of materials during high speed collisions.
Yuen Yiu, Staff Writer
Cells in the fly specimens' nervous systems can be seen glowing through the insects' transparent bodies.
Catherine Meyers, Editor
New research finds the optical effect previously produced using strictly quantum techniques may have broader applications.
Yuen Yiu, Staff Writer
Physicists are exploring new ways to improve the accuracy of global clock networks essential to applications such as GPS.
Yuen Yiu, Staff Writer
Scientists have just found out that zinc sulfide, a relatively common semiconductor material, becomes pliable when kept in the dark.
Yuen Yiu, Staff Writer