Photon

Researchers at the University of Michigan have come up with a clever way of turning darkness into night vision with a new OLED approach thinner than paper – all while using off-the-shelf parts and existing OLED manufacturing processes.

Scientists have demonstrated a technique to allow quantum computers to store more information in photons of light. The team encoded eight levels of data into photons and read it back easily, representing an exponential leap over previous systems.

Solar cells still have plenty of room for improvement. Researchers at New York University Tandon have now developed thin film that boosts solar cell efficiency by converting wasted wavelengths of light into ones that can produce energy.

A new type of radar can measure objects down to centimeters. The new technique uses a photonic system to generate much higher bandwidth signals, enabling radar that can detect smaller objects, and even monitor patient vital signs in hospitals.

Quantum computers are so far held back by their complexity. Engineers at Stanford have now demonstrated a new relatively simple design for a quantum computer where a single atom is entangled with a series of photons to process and store information.

Engineers at Stanford have created a new optical device that can easily manipulate light into basically any color desired. The system uses a series of modulators to fine-tune the frequencies of individual photons to change their color.

A new molecule developed by Ohio State University scientists can harvest energy from the entire visible spectrum of light, harnessing up to 50 percent more solar energy than current solar cells, and can also catalyze that energy into hydrogen.

Researchers at Caltech have developed a computer chip that can store quantum information in the form of light, at the nanoscale. The breakthrough is the latest step towards quantum computers and networks, which would allow information to be processed and transmitted faster and with smaller devices.

Quantum encryption could make for much less hackable communication networks. But for it to really take off it needs to work out in the real world, among other signals and natural air turbulence. Now, researchers have successfully sent a message with 4D quantum encryption between two rooftops.

Intel has developed a research prototype it says represents the world’s first silicon-based optical data connection with integrated lasers that can transmit data at speeds up to 50Gbps.