New Atlas

Space Audio available

Could we – and should we – build a laser lighthouse to make first contact with aliens?

Michael Irving November 6, 2018

Whether there’s life beyond Earth is one of the most profound questions we can ask. Making ourselves easier to find could be part of our first contact strategy. A new MIT study outlines a way to use existing or near-future tech to build a kind of laser lighthouse to signal to our cosmic neighbors.

An MIT study proposes building a laser lighthouse to signal to alien astronomers up to 20,000 ...

Physics

Atomic tractor beam traps atoms for quantum memory

Michael Irving October 30, 2018

The tractor beam is a long-time staple of sci-fi, but now Australian researchers have created a real-world version. While it won’t exactly be capturing enemy spaceships anytime soon, the device can use light to pull in and trap atoms, which may be handy for quantum communications or memory systems.

Lead researcher Philip Light with the chamber in which the tractor beams were created

Pets

Felik uses AI to take your pet laser-huntin'

Ben Coxworth October 15, 2018

It's no secret that cats and dogs can get bored when they're left home alone all day, which is why we've seen things such as pet-entertaining robots. Felik doesn't go quite that far, but instead uses artificial intelligence to let your critter "hunt" a moving laser beam.

Previously successful on Kickstarter, Felik is now the subject of an Indiegogo campaign

Digital Cameras

World's fastest camera shoots 10 trillion frames a second

Michael Irving October 11, 2018

The world’s fastest camera, developed by researchers at Caltech and INRS, captures the world at a mind-boggling 10 trillion frames per second – fast enough to probe the nanoscale interactions between light and matter.

The world's fastest camera can shoot at 10 trillion frames per second

Physics

"Tools made of light" earns laser pioneers the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics

Michael Irving October 2, 2018

The 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to three scientists: Arthur Ashkin for developing optical tweezers, and Gérard Mourou and Donna Strickland, for designing a method to generate high-intensity, ultra-short laser pulses.

Breakthroughs in laser technology have earned three scientists the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics

Space Audio available

NASA's new lasers to reveal polar ice changes down to the width of a pencil

Nick Lavars August 26, 2018

NASA is preparing to launch a new tool into orbit that will bounce lasers off polar ice to finely monitor elevation changes over time, providing new insights into not only the severity of climate change, but how it is directly impacting seal level rise.

The western edge of Antarctic iceberg A68

Telecommunications

Space laser communication system adapted for underwater use

David Szondy August 19, 2018

Adapting a laser system called Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration that was used to transmit data between lunar orbit and the Earth, MIT's Lincoln Laboratories is developing a way for underwater workers and machines to communicate more effectively with one another.

A remotely operated vehicle and undersea terminal emits a coarse acquisition stabilized beam after locking onto ...

Physics Audio available

Mini antimatter accelerator to open doors to particle physics mysteries

Michael Irving August 9, 2018

Particle accelerators have plenty to teach us, but these facilities involve kilometers of tunnels and equipment. Now, researchers at Imperial College London have developed a new way to accelerate antimatter particles using common equipment already found in many labs, in a much smaller space.

A simulation of antimatter particles being concentrated and accelerated into a positron beam

Energy

Laser-blasted graphene boosts capacity of sodium-ion batteries

Michael Irving July 30, 2018

Striking a balance between common materials and efficiency is important for batteries, and regular old salt looks like it could fit the bill – after a few kinks are ironed out. Now, KAUST researchers have developed a way to make disordered graphene that can improve the sodium-ion battery recipe.

A new technique to make disordered graphene could help improve the capacity of sodium-ion batteries

Physics

Fastest-spinning manmade object clocks 60 billion rpm

Michael Irving July 22, 2018

The fastest-spinning manmade object has been created in a lab at Purdue University. This microscopic rotor is made up of two silica nanoparticles stuck together to form a "dumbbell," and by hitting it with laser light the team has sent it spinning at a blistering 60 billion rpm.

Using a high-powered laser, researchers at Purdue University have set a microscopic "dumbbell" spinning at 60 ...