What does the "AI economy" mean for the optics and photonics industry? Optica's senior science advisor Tom Hausken explores the potential ups and downs AI may have on the economy in the latest OPN Market Report "Hanging onto the AI Juggernaut" https://bit.ly/4fgpkPu #AI💡 ⚛️

Image of the Week: Caustic and Shadow Artwork Grazing sunlight illuminating a glass of water generates an artwork of caustics and shadows. Andrea Aiello, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, Erlangen Germany Read more here: http://bit.ly/3Uj2QCf

After restorations, a Zeiss refractor from 1923 continues to delight visitors at the Belgrade Public Observatory. Read the OPN May feature "Restoring a Century-Old Zeiss Refractor" article to see how they got it up and running: https://bit.ly/42wvBPB 💡 ⚛️ 🧪

“People have found applications [for optical frequency combs] beyond the original fields—none of which were foreseen.” OPN spoke with Nathalie Picque ahead of her #CLEO plenary talk about recent developments in optical frequency comb research. https://bit.ly/4cXT2Gg 💡 ⚛️

A new, flexible microlaser can measure tiny forces within a living cell. “The applications we see are related to force measurements in clinically relevant cell models, primarily in stem cell‒derived heart organoids,” Marcel Schubert, @unicologne.bsky.social https://bit.ly/4dqQXUJ 💡 ⚛️ 🧪

Image of the Week: Droplet Optics A raindrop resting on a leaf forms a near-perfect sphere, transforming it into both a spherical mirror and a spherical lens. [2025 #OPNPhotoContest ] Read more here: http://bit.ly/3Uj2QCf

Private equity firm Artemis acquired optical engineering, manufacturing, and metrology firm Optikos Corp. Optikos’ says the deal will strengthen its technical capabilities while accelerating its expansion into complex, fast-evolving markets. Read the OPN story: https://bit.ly/4ng5UMU 💡 ⚛️

Ever wonder how innovative optics-based biomedical research makes it from the lab to the doctor's office? Check out the OPN May feature article "Biomedical Optics: Bringing Bright Ideas into Clinical Use" to get a closer look: https://bit.ly/4cXJhrC 💡 ⚛️ 🧪

A long time ago...in a galaxy far, far away...Optica was founded. Since then, optics has proven that many technologies used in #science fiction are possible. Tractor beams? ✅ #Lasers? ✅ Fusion energy? ✅ The search for other planets? ✅ Learn more: https://bit.ly/4cYtAAx ⚛️ 💡 #MayTheFourth

Global electronics manufacturer, Molex, announced that it will acquire Teramount Ltd., bringing Teramount's detachable fiber connectivity product in house. Read the OPN story: https://bit.ly/495fPyK 💡 ⚛️

"Eight years after the birth of their first child, mothers were 29% less likely to be working at a university than they would have been had they remained childless. For fathers, the decline was smaller, at 14%." New work points to a pronounced "parenthood penalty." https://bit.ly/49onRCW

Check out OPN's May Infographic "Measuring Time" to learn about how the SI second has been defined through time. https://bit.ly/4n3V6kx #atomicclock #time #physics

Researchers from @tuwien.at have developed an infrared sensor that can analyze ultrafine particles from the atmosphere in real-time. Spinoff company Invisible-Light Labs is now offering a commercial version of the sensor. Read the OPN story: https://bit.ly/4cIlGwd 💡 ⚛️ 🧪

Researchers have developed a new technique that can multiply the intensity of a laser, potentially reaching levels that can "break the vacuum" Read the OPN story: https://bit.ly/3PbvuWz 💡 ⚛️

In a growing trend, US companies are turning to the EU to strengthen their photonic and quantum technologies. Read the OPN story covering @rocketlabcorp.com's recent acquisition of Mynaric AG and Marvell Technology Inc purchase of Polariton Technologies: https://bit.ly/4mRTCdn 💡 ⚛️

Looking for a deep dive into the advanced laser technology behind displays, one of the most common consumer products? Check out the OPN May cover feature story: "The Lasers That Make Your Screen" https://bit.ly/4vRc5L2 💡⚛️ 🧪

Image of the Week: Rainbow's Ghostly Twin A fogbow arcs across the foggy Murodo Plateau. This ghostly twin of the rainbow is born from the same optical phenomenon as its colorful sibling. Naila Zahra, University of Osaka, Japan Read more here: http://bit.ly/3Uj2QCf

Researchers at NIST combined lithium niobate and tantalum pentoxide on a single chip, leveraging both of their strengths. The resulting device can change the color of laser light making it ideal for building complex photonic systems. Read the OPN story: https://bit.ly/4dZkplw 💡 ⚛️

Researchers developed a stable, portable optical clock. A sea voyage showed the ytterbium-171 clock's high accuracy and frequency even after several days on the moving ship. Read the OPN story: https://bit.ly/4vHDT4s 💡 ⚛️ 🧪

OPN's May issue is now live! 🥳 The issue includes features about the #lasers that make up displays, closing the gap between #biomedical optics research and clinical use, the story behind restoring a Zeiss refractor from 1923 and so much more! Check it out online 👉 https://bit.ly/3QOQpz2 💡⚛️ 🧪

Image of the Week: Stress Revealed in Color A curved acetate sheet placed between crossed polarizers exhibits vivid interference colors due to stress-induced birefringence. Read more here: http://bit.ly/3Uj2QCf

"These initiatives reflect a growing emphasis by the EU on strengthening the structural conditions that allow new technologies to scale, commercialize and sustain globally competitive activity." Check out the OPN story to learn more about these important policy proposals: https://bit.ly/48Lbroj💡 ⚛️

By studying a unique, light-activated protein in dragonflies, researchers may have unlocked new opportunities for deep-tissue optogenetics. Read the OPN story: https://bit.ly/4mzOB8T #optogenetics #proteins 💡 ⚛️ 🧪

Tiny robots, guided by laser light, can transport bacteria. The new device could be used in microbiology and biomedicine as a robotic cleaner. Read the OPN story: https://bit.ly/41A9g3a 💡 ⚛️ 🧪

Happy World Quantum Day! To celebrate, here are a few of our favorite recent #quantum stories: "The International Year of Quantum Science and Technology" https://bit.ly/48Mds3D "The Travels of a Quantum Light Source" https://bit.ly/41BvB0f "Pushing Quantum Security" https://bit.ly/3OhznZI 💡 ⚛️ 🧪

Learn about how the optics community in Kenya is growing from OPN's April issue profile on the National Institute for Optics and Lasers, which was founded in Nairobi, Kenya, in March 2019. Read the story: https://bit.ly/4cujxTv #academicsky #edusky💡 ⚛️ 🧪

Happy #WorldQuantumDay! Quantum computing for cryptography and drug discovery, deep space communication, #quantum key distribution and more applications can revolutionize technological development. To celebrate, we put together some of our favorite quantum articles: https://bit.ly/3PceA9T ⚛️💡

Vector Photonics announced the first successful public demonstration of photonic crystal surface emitting laser technology! They say this latest breakthrough could enable faster, secure internet connections. Read the OPN story: https://bit.ly/41sjiDx

Image of the Week: Spider Rainbow Sunlight passing through a spider’s web diffracts into a rainbow of colors. Robert Schalck, Optica Senior Member (Emeritus), North Bend, OR, USA Read more here: http://bit.ly/3Uj2QCf

Scientific and technological impact is often dependent on long-term investment in research. Check out the OPN feature "How USAF Funding Shaped Laser-Atmosphere Modeling" to see how this transformative software was made possible with US federal funding: https://bit.ly/3Q58bhk 💡 ⚛️ 🧪

Check out OPN's interview with Emmanuel Beaurepaire for a sneak peek at what he will discuss during his Optica Biophotonics Congress plenary talk, “Color and Multicontrast Multiphoton Imaging of Brain and Scattering Tissue." https://bit.ly/4vcX1Hg 💡 ⚛️ 🧪 @ecolepolytechnique.bsky.social

“[Halide perovskite crystals] are ‘smart materials’ that can be tuned to respond to a stimulus in a way we can control,” said Marina Leite. “Their chemistry is very different in a way that can be beneficial for creating [photonic] devices we couldn’t build before.” https://bit.ly/4vayrXw 💡 ⚛️

New noise-mitigation technique can recover and improve the properties of entangled states, which "could allow quantum systems to operate under real‑world noise conditions." Read the OPN story: https://bit.ly/3O89Fqs #quantum #technology 💡 ⚛️

Check out OPN's feature article "A New Knob for Resonant Photonics: The Waveform" to learn about the “hidden” structure that governs resonant scattering and coupling that has applications in photonics, metasurfaces, imaging and quantum hardware. Read the story: https://bit.ly/4ccmoAg 💡 ⚛️

Together for health. #StandWithScience. For #WorldHealthDay, Optica is drawing attention to how optics research enhances drug delivery, improves surgical techniques and patient care, and more. Learn more about the intersection of #Physics and health: https://bit.ly/4v9AVW4 @who.int#StandWithScience🧪 💡

Image of the Week: Underwater Glow Under a beam of blue light, a plant inside a fish tank radiates with a vivid neon glow, creating a striking underwater scene filled with color and contrast. Read more here: http://bit.ly/3Uj2QCf

Researchers squeezed phonons to create a low-noise phonon laser! The new tool could be used to study the interplay between classical and quantum behavior in small-scale systems. Read the OPN story: https://bit.ly/3PQP3n0 #Quantum #Technology 💡 ⚛️

For a deep dive into an emerging and tantalizing electro-optic material, that promises a cost-effective platform for manufacturing integrated photonic chips, check out OPN's April cover feature "Lithium Tantalate: Making a Material Difference:" https://bit.ly/4v5328Q #materials #technology 💡 ⚛️

New type of holographic data storage uses the amplitude, phase and polarization of laser beams to increase storage capacity. A neural network makes it possible to retrieve the values of the 3 properties. Read the OPN story: https://bit.ly/47zql0F 💡 ⚛️ 🧪

Image of the Week: Beam Splitter Patterns A red filter smaller than the illumination beam allows peripheral unfiltered light to reach a beam splitter, generating a yellow edge halo. Read more here: http://bit.ly/3Uj2QCf

The field is one step closer to commercial laser fusion. Xcimer Energy completed a new round of experiments at the University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics to test key physics underlying its approach to fusion power. Read the OPN story: https://bit.ly/3NUtW2q 💡 ⚛️

New triple-junction solar cells breaks records! The device achieved a record certified power conversion efficiency of 30.02%, surpassing the previous record of 27.1%. Check out the OPN story: https://bit.ly/3NxE0hX 💡 ⚛️ 🧪

Researchers used optical-fiber sensors to study the seismic and hydrodynamic patterns of #soil. The method could offer insight on #agricultural practices and #sustainability at a finer resolution than remote-sensing techniques. Read the OPN story: https://bit.ly/3O3AVGt 💡 ⚛️ 🧪

Image of the Week: Circular Clouds at Sunrise Unusual circular clouds in the vicinity of the sunrise create a beautiful early morning sky. Samuel F. Pellicori, Optica Senior Member, Santa Barbara, CA, USA Read more here: http://bit.ly/3Uj2QCf

📣 OPN's April issue is now live 📣 Check it out for stories about a new material called lithium tantalate, a 'hidden' waveform structure that governs resonant scattering and coupling, the history of laser-atmosphere modeling development and funding, and so much more! https://bit.ly/3Nqfj74 💡 ⚛️ 🧪

How is screen use affecting eye health and could smarter design help? Check out the OPN March feature article "Eye Health in the Age of Screens" to learn more about the research answering these questions: https://bit.ly/4sr3Ov4 💡 ⚛️ 🧪

Curious about the development of and current and future uses of fiber optic sensors? OPN's March Then & Now looks at the early milestones of fiber sensors and more recent developments and interesting applications. Read the story! https://bit.ly/4bxdtsW #technology #fiberoptics💡 ⚛️ 🧪

Checkout OPN's March Infographic for a nifty timeline of fiber optic transmission milestones over the past 60 years! https://bit.ly/4smZ3Tv #fiberoptic #history #technology 💡 ⚛️ 🧪

In new work, researchers achieved an on-chip device that can tune the chirality of light without needing any change of optical components. The new technology could have applications in chiral sensing, polarization control and optical communications. Read the OPN story: https://bit.ly/4sbVwqW 💡⚛️ 🧪

Image of the Week: Curved Grid Illusion Straight lines bend gracefully into a vivid display of distorted geometry under a plano-convex lens. Read more here: http://bit.ly/3Uj2QCf