With a zap of light, system switches objects’ colors and patterns
“Programmable matter” technique could enable product designers to churn out prototypes with ease.
Nanostructured device stops light in its tracks
MIT researchers develop compact on-chip device for detecting electric-field waveforms with attosecond time resolution.
SMART investigates the science behind varying performance of different colored LEDs
The findings pave the way to develop more efficient next-gen LEDs that cover the entire visible spectrum.
New “metalens” shifts focus without tilting or moving
The design may enable miniature zoom lenses for drones, cellphones, or night-vision goggles.
New type of atomic clock keeps time even more precisely
The design, which uses entangled atoms, could help scientists detect dark matter and study gravity’s effect on time.
Ultracold atoms reveal a new type of quantum magnetic behavior
The findings may help researchers design “spintronic” devices and novel magnetic materials.
Physicists capture the sound of a “perfect” fluid
The results should help scientists study the viscosity in neutron stars, the plasma of the early universe, and other strongly interacting fluids.
Engineers produce a fisheye lens that’s completely flat
The single piece of glass produces crisp panoramic images.
Shining a light on the quantum world
With funding from MISTI, physicists at MIT and in Israel collaborate to improve understanding and use of quantum light.
Portable system boosts laser precision, at room temperature
“Light squeezer” reduces quantum noise in lasers, could enhance quantum computing and gravitational-wave detection.
How to verify that quantum chips are computing correctly
A new method determines whether circuits are accurately executing complex operations that classical computers can’t tackle.
Quantum sensing on a chip
Researchers integrate diamond-based sensing components onto a chip to enable low-cost, high-performance quantum hardware.
Exotic physics phenomenon is observed for first time
Observation of the predicted non-Abelian Aharonov-Bohm Effect may offer step toward fault-tolerant quantum computers.
Chip design drastically reduces energy needed to compute with light
Simulations suggest photonic chip could run optical neural networks 10 million times more efficiently than its electrical counterparts.
Novel optics for ultrafast cameras create new possibilities for imaging
Technique can capture a scene at multiple depths with one shutter click — no zoom lens needed.