James Clerk Maxwell’s Vampire
Light Touch

James Clerk Maxwell’s Vampire

Special for Halloween: A lesser-known work of the great 19th-century scientist—a poem about a blood-sucking monster. 

01 November 2022
Creating a Diverse, Inclusive Workplace
From the Issue
Creating a Diverse, Inclusive Workplace

OPN highlights companies and a research institution that have made their work environments welcoming to all.

01 November 2022
Optics in Ukraine: Glorious Past, Uncertain Future
From the Issue
Optics in Ukraine: Glorious Past, Uncertain Future

Invasion and war have disrupted Ukrainian science—and rebuilding it deserves the world’s attention and resources.

01 November 2022
Integrated Spectral Sensors
From the Issue
Integrated Spectral Sensors

New approaches that mimic the functioning of the human eye are enabling embedded, portable alternatives to conventional spectrometers.

01 November 2022
Laser Micromachining Improves X-Ray Telescope Mirrors
Research News
Laser Micromachining Improves X-Ray Telescope Mirrors

Using femtosecond laser pulses to alter stress states in materials could enable better optics for space-based observations.

26 October 2022
Niagara Falls Rainbow
Image of the Week
Niagara Falls Rainbow

Beautiful rainbow visible while hiking the Journey Behind the Falls at Horseshoe Falls, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.

28 October 2022
LATEST NEWS
Trumpf Results: Record Year, Cloudy Horizon
Industry News
Trumpf Results: Record Year, Cloudy Horizon

Industrial-laser behemoth reports strong gains in sales and order for fiscal year—but CEO acknowledges economic and geopolitical uncertainties are “making me pensive.”

29 October 2022
Probing the Diverse Colors of Chile’s “Blooming Desert”
Research News
Probing the Diverse Colors of Chile’s “Blooming Desert”

A single flower species appears different to pollinators depending on pigment composition.

27 October 2022
Laser Micromachining Improves X-Ray Telescope Mirrors
Research News
Laser Micromachining Improves X-Ray Telescope Mirrors

Using femtosecond laser pulses to alter stress states in materials could enable better optics for space-based observations.

26 October 2022
Internet Edge Computing, the Photonic Way
Research News
Internet Edge Computing, the Photonic Way

A proposed architecture, Netcast, would use light-based techniques to run complex machine-learning computations on smartphones, smart speakers and other low-power client devices.

24 October 2022
Lasers Enable Fast and Detailed 3D Printing
Research News
Lasers Enable Fast and Detailed 3D Printing

A new projection-based additive manufacturing method uses blue and red lasers to quickly create high-resolution micrometer-sized objects.

20 October 2022

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EDITOR'S PICKS
Ultraviolet, the Vampire Slayer
From the Archive

Ultraviolet, the Vampire Slayer

OPN’s “Light Touch” columnist offers a Halloween treat: a brief cultural history of UV light’s deadly effect on vampires.

01 October 2019
Nobel Prize Recognizes Entanglement Pioneers
Research News
Nobel Prize Recognizes Entanglement Pioneers

The 2022 physics prize goes to John Clauser, Alain Aspect and Anton Zeilinger, who put nonlocal entanglement of photons on a solid footing as a resource for quantum technology.

04 October 2022
Toward a Truly Inclusive Classroom
Reflections in Diversity
Toward a Truly Inclusive Classroom

OPN talks to a physics professor whose research focuses on reimagining education to better include students with disabilities.

01 February 2022
Light Bird
After Image
Light Bird

A focused femtosecond laser pulse interacts with a glass slide—creating a colorful flying-bird pattern. The shiny colors denote the strong laser-induced breakdown.

01 October 2022

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Image of the Week

Niagara Falls Rainbow

Beautiful rainbow visible while hiking the Journey Behind the Falls at Horseshoe Falls, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.

28 October 2022
Infographic

Student Knowledge: Math + Science

Administered every four years since 1995, the IEA's Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) assesses mathematics and science knowledge of students around the world. 

01 November 2022
Then and Now

Adaptive Optics

Adaptive optics was first proposed as a way to improve astronomical measurements, but later it transformed into a tool for ophthalmology and beyond.

01 June 2022
CAREERS
Senior Member Insights: Akhilesh Kumar Pathak
Careers
Senior Member Insights: Akhilesh Kumar Pathak

A postdoctoral researcher talks about his work in fiber optics.

18 October 2022
A Photonics Researcher’s Advice for Students
Careers
A Photonics Researcher’s Advice for Students

OPN talks with Sejeong Kim, a co-author of the book Things I Wish I Knew Before Graduate School 2.

14 October 2022
Senior Member Insights: Ni Chen
Careers
Senior Member Insights: Ni Chen

A researcher talks about having a multidimensional career.

04 October 2022
Balanced Genders, Better Results
Careers
Balanced Genders, Better Results

Study suggests women and men working together are more effective than single-gender research teams.

27 September 2022
Senior Member Insights: Raluca Negres
Careers
Senior Member Insights: Raluca Negres

A researcher talks about following your passion rather than material things.

20 September 2022