Optics and Photonics News

A Roadmap for Optical Lithography

The International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors is the go-to standard for predicting future technology requirements and driving global research and development in the semiconductor industry. This article serves as your roadmap to what it all means for optical lithography over the next 10 to 15 years.

Night-Shining Clouds

At the junction between day and night lies twilight—one of the most optically rich and aesthetically pleasing times to observe the sky. In deep twilight, long after the sun has set or before it has risen, a fortunate observer can be treated to a startling visual display when clouds appear suddenly, shining in the dark.

Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Microscopy: Microscopic Laser Radar

Using instruments from optical coherence tomography and the principles of synthetic aperture radar, researchers have developed a new method for reconstructing 3-D optical images. Doctors may soon be able to use this approach as a noninvasive diagnostic tool in clinical settings.

Teaching Optics in North Uganda: The Experience of the Naples Student Chapter

One fine summer day, a group of Italian students were struck with a simple idea—but one that would not be quite so effortless to execute. Learn how OSA’s Napoli Student Chapter got a crash course in conducting international educational outreach.

Diamonds in the Dark

From ancient legend to modern sci-fi, glowing gems have been a staple of storytelling throughout the ages. But can stones actually emit their own light?

Nova Photonics: From Innovation to Implementation

The team at Nova Photonics has decades of experience in making optical measurements in the harsh plasma environment, giving them a strong basis in physics, polarization optics, hardware and system integration. Their goal is to devise innovative solutions to challenges in fusion energy and see them through to implementation.

Tiny Laser Borrows Principles from Electronics

A Swiss team has built a microlaser that, scaled to the operating wavelength, is the smallest electrically pumped laser yet made.

Presidents of the Late 1940s

OSA historian John Howard remembers three Society leaders.

Osaka University’s Photonics Advanced Research Center: Japan’s Optical Gem

The Photonics Advanced Research Center (PARC) at Osaka University in Japan has emerged as a leading scientific and industrial research center for photonics in Japan. A PARC program manager and the center’s director describe how PARC is enabling Japanese scientists and engineers—in collaboration with others around the world—to lead a photonic revolution in the 21st century.

Invisibility Cloak Goes 3-D

A team at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany recently completed a three-dimensional, near-infrared “invisibility cloaking” experiment.

Did You Know?

A coat that recharges the wearer’s cell phone with solar power.

Book Reviews

In Memory

Remembering Lucien M. Biberman and Hans Adolf Buchdahl.

2010 Awards

OSA announces the winners of its 2010 awards and medals.

OSA Today

President's Message