The world keeps time with the ticks of atomic clocks, but a new type of clock under development—a nuclear clock—could revolutionize how we measure time and probe fundamental physics.
Now imagine a frequency mixer that works at a quadrillion (PHz, petahertz) times per second—up to a million times faster. This frequency range corresponds to the oscillations of the electric and magnetic fields that make up light waves.
Petahertz-frequency mixers would allow us to shift signals up to optical frequencies and then back down to more conventional electronic frequencies, enabling the transmission and processing of vastly larger amounts of information at many times higher speeds. This leap in speed isn’t just about doing things faster; it’s about enabling entirely new capabilities.
Lightwave electronics (or petahertz electronics) is an emerging field that aims to integrate optical and electronic systems at incredibly high speeds, leveraging the ultrafast oscillations of light fields. The key idea is to harness the electric field of light waves, which oscillate on sub-femtosecond (10-15 seconds) timescales, to directly drive electronic processes.
Magnetic confinement fusion devices are technologies that can attain controlled nuclear fusion reactions, using magnetic fields to confine hot plasmas. These devices could contribute to the ongoing transition towards more sustainable energy production methods.
Butterflies can see more of the world than humans, including more colors and the field oscillation direction, or polarization, of light. This special ability enables them to navigate with precision, forage for food and communicate with one another. Other species, like the mantis shrimp, can sense an even wider spectrum of light, as well as the circular polarization, or spinning states, of light waves. They use this capability to signal a “love code,” which helps them find and be discovered by mates.
Inspired by these abilities in the animal kingdom, a team of researchers at the Penn State College of Engineering has developed an ultrathin optical element known as a metasurface, which can attach to a conventional camera and encode the spectral and polarization data of images captured in a snapshot or video through tiny, antenna-like nanostructures that tailor light properties. A machine learning framework, also developed by the team, then decodes this multi-dimensional visual information in real-time on a standard laptop.
The researchers have published their work in Science Advances.
Researchers at the Paris Institute of Nanoscience at Sorbonne University have developed a new method to encode images into the quantum correlations of photon pairs, making it invisible to conventional imaging techniques. The study is published in the journal Physical Review Letters.
Imagine a future where internet connections are not only lightning-fast but also remarkably reliable, even in crowded spaces. This vision is rapidly approaching reality, thanks to new research on terahertz communications technologies. These innovations are set to transform wireless communication, particularly as communications technology advances toward the next generation of networks, 6G.
I’m an engineer who focuses on photonics, the study of how light and other electromagnetic waves are generated and detected. In this research, my colleagues and I have developed a silicon topological beamformer chip. The paper is published in the journal Nature. Topological.
Terahertz frequencies are crucial for 6G, which telecommunications companies plan to roll out around 2030. The radio frequency spectrum used by current wireless networks is becoming increasingly congested. Terahertz waves offer a solution by using the relatively unoccupied portion of the electromagnetic spectrum between microwaves and infrared. These higher frequencies can carry massive amounts of data, making them ideal for the data-intensive applications of the future.
As scientists and researchers increasingly look to quantum computing to aid in complex problem-solving and advance our understanding of the universe—quantum error correction has become a critical area of scientific inquiry.
BOCA CHICA, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A tourist staple at the Boca Chica SpaceX launch site is being relocated.
Many space enthusiasts who have been following SpaceX’s progression in the Rio Grande Valley know that the Starhopper started it all for the space flight company in South Texas.
In 2019, the Starhopper prototype performed its first successful 150 meter flight at the SpaceX Starbase (Boca Chica) site. Since then, the company has continued to test its flight engineering with different SN rockets.
Scientists at ORNL used the Frontier supercomputer to resolve a decade-long debate about the magnetic properties of calcium-48.