Astrophotonics: The Rise of Integrated Photonics in Astronomy

Photonic components are fueling impressive gains by Earth-based astrophysicists—with more to come in the soon-to-be-initiated age of extremely large telescopes.

by Barnaby Norris and Joss Bland-Hawthorn

Weaving the Rainbow: Space-Time Optical Wave Packets

Spatio-temporal structuring affords new opportunities for controlling pulsed optical beams.

by Murat Yessenov, Basanta Bhaduri, H. Esat Kondakci and Ayman F. Abouraddy

Creating an Airborne Laser Lab

In the 1970s and 1980s, the U.S. Air Force and its contractors experimented with packing a 400-kW gas-dynamic laser into a military-grade Boeing 707.

by Jeff Hecht

Newsroom

Research and Industry News

Speeding Up Attosecond Metrology / Recording Nerve Cells in Action / From Clear to Color / Flexible Way to Hide Heat / Planet-Hunting “Astrocomb” / Photonics21 Roadmap / Tuning In to Quantum Radio

Infographic

Extremely Large Telescopes

The next generation of ground-based infrared telescopes will have resolving power far beyond what is available today—potentially expanding our astronomical reach to the edges of the universe. For more on astrophotonics, see this month’s cover article Astrophotonics: The Rise of Integrated Photonics in Astronomy.

Conversations

IDL: Illuminating Education

A New Zealand professor and International Day of Light committee member explains why educational outreach is essential in light science.

Light Touch

Fringe Science

A historical, and etymological, dive into polariscopes.

Tutorial

Amplifying Few-Cycle Pulses with OPCPA

One way to ramp up ultrashort-pulse energy—by eight orders of magnitude.

President's Message

Optics Illuminates Past, Present and Future

Looking Back

30, 20, and 10 Years Ago in OPN

A simple vision machine; magnetic storage; laser pico-projectors.

OSA Update

News from the Society

IPAC Presses Forward / Photonics PPP / OSA Fellow Stories / CREOL Honors Clara Rivero Baleine / OIDA at OFC / OFC Recap  / Student Winners at ICTP Winter College  / NPI Workshop on High-Intensity Lasers  / Thank You, Editors / Thank You, Volunteers