January 2026 Issue
Feature Articles
Understanding and tracking climate change demands a more comprehensive visual picture of global seafloor—via cameras, lighting and other optics designed for the ocean’s inhospitable depths.
by Stewart Wills
Unlocking the Secrets of Replicated Mirrors
Replication offers a cost-effective method to produce complex optical geometries on diverse substrates complementing traditional “grind and shine” techniques.
by Chris Tricard and Robert Bourdelais
AI Opens Up Optical System Design
Artificial intelligence has the potential to improve the design of optical devices and systems, but these computational tools are still no match for human insight and ingenuity.
by Susan CurtisDepartments and Columns
Neural pathways come into view / Astro-comb mode control / Toward green fuels / Fluid-based laser scanning / Tiny high-res pixels / Industry news
Following the money suggests that for 2026, the latest big trend is military technology.
Charting a Path Through the Stars
Strojnik discusses her work developing an autonomous system for optical navigation of air- and spacecraft.
For its December 2025 “year in optics” feature, OPN received numerous submissions for cover art. Here are a few of our favorites—which cover would you choose?
Also in this Issue
While individual efforts are invaluable, our collective action is essential for Optica’s ongoing progress.
30, 20, and 10 Years Ago in OPN
The role of optics in biotechnology and health care; water monitoring with laser fluorescence; imaging with multimode fibers
FiO LS and Laser Congress / Duncan Moore named Honorary Member / Optica officer elections / Applied Optics Best Paper Prize / Quantum Industry Summit / Photonics-Enabled Cloud Computing Summit / Congressional Fellowship / Student Presentation Prize winners / Thank you, editors
Spores (blue/purple structures) of a small tropical fern (Ceratopteris richardii). [5th Place, 2025 Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition].
![Manual probe system with needles for test of semiconductor on silicon wafer. [A. Morozov / Getty]](https://opnmedia.blob.core.windows.net/$web/opn/media/images/articles/2025/1125/departments/202511-cover-web.jpg?ext=.jpg)
![Researcher Clara Saraceno in the lab. [Image by Carsten Behler Photography]](https://opnmedia.blob.core.windows.net/$web/opn/media/images/articles/2025/1025/departments/202510-cover-web.jpg?ext=.jpg)
