Browse Physics

Thanks to illusion optics, an open channel across a metamaterial slab is made invisible to light incident from the left.

Elastic scattering may be a larger source of qubit error than previously thought.

A two-step process could improve the resolution of optical lithography.

A general approach works toward bringing the magical ideas of transformation optics closer to practical use.

An optical fiber facilitates the transfer of energy from one laser beam to another in a nonlinear process that suppresses higher-order scattering.

Symmetry arguments reveal the necessary conditions for building a device that can act as both a perfect emitter and a perfect absorber.

A model of laser amplification that accounts for beam focusing may allow more effective optimization of output power.

Structurally engineered electromagnetic materials have now been made from active elements, expanding the range of possible optical effects in such so-called “metamaterials.”

The answer to why the wings of certain butterflies diffract light in a reverse rainbow spectrum is found in the structure of the wing scales.

Light from an ultraviolet frequency comb allows researchers to push the boundaries in precision spectroscopy, experimental tests of quantum electrodynamics, and atomic clocks.

The power enhancement from compressing an entangled photon pair opens applications in quantum information processing based on optics.

Photonic band gap structures combined with silicon nanocrystals may allow integration of optical circuits with current microchip technology.

Early results from the Linac Coherent Light Source expose the inner dynamics of molecules during ionization with ultrashort x-ray pulses.

Forces on an atom from a fiber less than an optical wavelength in diameter may provide answers in quantum optics.

The caveat that a carpet cloak must be made of an anisotropic material should not be ignored.

In the domain of unusual optical properties, layered superconductors could be viable materials with a negative index of refraction.

At high pressure, the simple metal sodium shows complex behavior, including directional transparency.

Simulations address whether magnetic ordering is achievable with cold atoms in optical lattices.

A time-tested photon interferometry technique is used to study the statistics of photons emitted by current fluctuations in a quantum conductor.

Researchers propose a new scheme for laser cooling in the strong-coupling regime that is orders of magnitude faster than methods limited by the trap frequency.