Tag

Metasurfaces

All articles tagged with #metasurfaces

technology22 days ago•8 min saved

Polar ID Goes Subdisplay: Metalenz Puts Face Unlock Behind the Screen

Metalenz’s Polar ID uses polarization data captured by metasurface optics to distinguish real faces from masks, enabling biometric authentication that can operate beneath an OLED display. The system promises a notch-free, secure Face ID-like solution for laptops and smartphones, resistant to high-quality masks, with mass production planned for 2027; the under-display version is expected to arrive around 2028 after closer collaboration with display makers.

via WIRED|

#biometrics #face-recognition #metasurfaces

space-and-astronomy1 month ago•38 min saved

Laser-Powered Metajets Hint at 20-Year Alpha Centauri Trip

Texas A&M researchers report a lab demonstration of micron-scale metajets with metasurfaces that can be steered in three dimensions by laser light; they say the concept could be scaled to propel larger spacecraft, potentially enabling a 20-year journey to Alpha Centauri, though real-world feasibility and space testing remain to be proven.

via Yahoo Tech|

#alpha-centauri #interstellar-travel #laser-propulsion

space1 month ago•3 min saved

Laser-Propelled Metajets Could Shorten Alpha Centauri Trip to 20 Years

Texas A&M researchers demonstrated micron-scale metajets that use metasurfaces to move in three dimensions when illuminated by laser light, enabling 3D maneuverability that could, in theory, scale to propel larger craft. While the approach could cut a trip to Alpha Centauri to about 20 years, feasibility remains uncertain as tests to date occurred in fluid environments and microgravity space tests are planned to validate practicality and scaling.

via Futurism|

#interstellar-travel #laser-propulsion #metajets

space1 month ago•12 min saved

Micron-scale Metajets Open Door to 3D Light Propulsion

Texas A&M researchers demonstrated micron-scale metajets—metasurface-based devices that transfer momentum from light to lift and steer objects in 3D without contact—marking a scalable path for light-propulsion and potential interstellar missions to Alpha Centauri, contingent on sufficient optical power and funding; space-testing is the next step after fluid experiments that offset gravity.

via Interesting Engineering|

#alpha-centauri #interstellar-travel #light-propulsion

science4 months ago•24 min saved

Metasurface holograms unlock ultra-dense single-atom tweezer arrays

Researchers demonstrate trapping of single strontium atoms in two‑dimensional metasurface‑generated optical tweezer arrays, achieving arbitrary geometries with trap spacings as small as 1.5 μm and over 100 traps, with high uniformity in depth and frequency. The metasurfaces (silicon-rich silicon nitride and TiO2) use subwavelength pixels to scale far beyond current limits, enabling a 360,000‑trap array and a path toward scalable neutral-atom quantum technologies.

via Nature|

#metasurfaces #neutral-atom-quantum-technology #optical-tweezers

science8 months ago•7 min saved

Butterfly Wings Spark Breakthrough in Optical Technology

Researchers have developed a new ultra-thin, tunable optical device inspired by butterfly wings, enabling dynamic control of nonlinear optical processes at visible wavelengths, with potential applications in camouflage, biosensing, and quantum computing.

via Phys.org|

#butterfly-wings #metasurfaces #nonlinear-optics

technology9 months ago•3 min saved

Advances in Metasurfaces and OLEDs Bring Holograms Closer to Everyday Use

Researchers from the University of St Andrews have developed a new method combining holographic metasurfaces and organic LEDs to create more compact, cheaper, and easier-to-apply holograms, potentially enabling holographic displays in smartphones and other everyday devices.

via Phys.org|

#display-technology #holograms #light-manipulation

nanophotonics9 months ago•36 min saved

Advances in Meta-Optical Technologies for Ultrafast Light Control and Future Applications

The article reports an experimental demonstration of ultrafast optical control of resonances in symmetry-broken metasurfaces by tuning the radiative loss parameter γrad through selective optical pumping, leveraging restored symmetry-protected bound states in the continuum (RSP-BICs) to achieve dynamic on-off switching of high-Q resonances on subpicosecond timescales, with potential applications in active nanophotonics and ultrafast optical devices.

via Nature|

#active-tuning #grad #metasurfaces

science10 months ago•3 min saved

Metasurfaces and Flat Optics Paving the Way for Quantum Computing Advances

Researchers at Harvard have developed ultra-thin metasurfaces that can manipulate and entangle photons for quantum information processing, potentially replacing bulky optical components and enabling scalable, robust quantum devices at room temperature.

via Phys.org|

#harvard #metasurfaces #photons

science-and-technology11 months ago•3 min saved

Smartphone-Integrated High-Resolution Spectrometer

KAIST researchers have developed a compact, high-resolution spectrometer using double-layer disordered metasurfaces, enabling precise light wavelength analysis in devices smaller than a fingernail, with potential applications in daily life and various scientific fields.

via Phys.org|

#high-resolution #metasurfaces #optical-technology

technology2 years ago•4 min saved

"Breakthrough All-Optical Tech Shrinks Night Vision Devices"

Researchers from TMOS have developed a new, ultra-thin infrared filter using lithium niobate metasurfaces that can be applied to everyday eyewear, potentially revolutionizing night vision technology by making it lightweight and accessible for consumer use. This innovation allows users to see both infrared and visible light simultaneously, promising applications in safer driving, nighttime activities, and various industries.

via Tech Xplore|

#infrared-imaging #metasurfaces #miniaturization

technology2 years ago•3 min saved

"Michelangelo's David Successfully Recognized by Compact Facial-Recognition System"

Scientists have developed a new compact facial recognition system that uses flatter, simpler optics and requires less energy than existing 3D imaging systems in smartphones. The system, tested on a replica of Michelangelo's David, employs metasurfaces and a photonic crystal surface-emitting laser to generate customizable and versatile light patterns, making it more energy-efficient and suitable for integration into a single chip. The new system recognized the face as well as existing smartphone facial recognition while using 5-10 times less power.

via Ars Technica|

#3d-imaging #facial-recognition #innovation

science-and-technology2 years ago•2 min saved

"Breakthrough: Light Slowed 10,000 Times in Groundbreaking Experiment"

Scientists from Guangxi University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a new method to slow down light by more than 10,000 times using a synthetic 2D structure called a metasurface, made from thin layers of silicon. This breakthrough in light manipulation could have significant implications for computing and optical communication, offering better control over how light travels and reducing energy loss compared to existing methods.

via ScienceAlert|

#electromagnetically-induced-transparency #guangxi-university #light-manipulation

science-and-technology2 years ago•4 min saved

Advancements in Remote Sensing and Quantum Computing with Harvard's "Points of Darkness"

Harvard researchers have developed techniques to control "points of darkness" in light using metasurfaces, allowing for applications in remote sensing, precision measurement, and covert detection. The team created precise dark spots that can capture atoms or act as measurement points for imaging, and developed resilient "polarization singularities," stable dark spots in polarized optical fields. These advancements have implications for improving imaging systems, simplifying optical architecture in atomic physics labs, and enabling the masking of bright sources while imaging scenes.

via SciTechDaily|

#covert-detection #harvard #metasurfaces

science-and-technology2 years ago•4 min saved

Harnessing the Power of Dark Structures for Optimal Resilience

Researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have developed new techniques using metasurfaces to control points of darkness, or optical singularities. These dark spots have potential applications in remote sensing, precision measurement, and imaging. The team designed metasurfaces with titanium dioxide nanopillars to create an array of optical singularities, which could be used as optical traps for capturing atoms or as reference positions for imaging. They also developed extremely stable points of darkness in a polarized optical field, known as polarization singularities, which are topologically protected and can withstand perturbations. These advancements in optical singularities have implications for remote sensing, covert detection, and creating compact, lightweight optical devices.

via Phys.org|

#dark-spots #metasurfaces #optical-devices