Photonics/Optics
Latest Stories
Briefs Photonics/Optics
Could Metasurfaces Be The Next Quantum Information Processors?
Optics researchers in the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have created specially designed metasurfaces — flat devices etched with nanoscale light-manipulating patterns — to act as ultra-thin upgrades for quantum-optical chips and setups. Read on to learn more.
INSIDER Defense
AFWERX Tests Alternative Navigation System on Osprey MK III
A bright orange dart drifted in the air at approximately 1,000 feet. The cloudless, bright blue skies practically swallowed up the 7-foot, 50-pound unmanned aerial system as it...
Application Briefs Aerospace
A New Record for Optical Power Beaming
DARPA recognized the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory during their POWER Phase 2 Industry Day, for contributions to the Persistent Optical Wireless Energy Relay program, which shattered existing records for optical power beaming over distance. Read on to learn more.
INSIDER Design
German Satellite's Multispectral Camera Improves Weather Forecasting Data
The German Space Agency is planning the launch of the Metop-SGA1 satellite of the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT)...
INSIDER Connectivity
Fiber Deep Upgrade Improves Cyber Resilience for JBPHH
An Air National Guard fiber cable installation team is implementing the 'Fiber Deep' project on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. This project aims to save up to $10 million by...
Application Briefs Aerospace
Breakthrough in Long-Haul Laser Communication Capabilities
BlueHalo announced the successful milestone demonstration of its two-terminal long-haul, multi-orbit laser communication system. The achievement marks a significant breakthrough in the development of space-based laser communication technology with far-reaching implications for national security and commercial sectors. Read on to learn more.
Articles Electronics & Computers
Microcomb Chips Could Improve Accuracy of GPS Systems
The optical atomic clocks that exist today are bulky and require complex laboratories with specific laser settings and optical components, making it difficult to use them outside lab environments, such as in satellites, remote research stations, or drones. Now, a research team has developed a technology that makes optical atomic clocks significantly smaller and accessible for more widespread use in society. Read on to learn more.
Articles RF & Microwave Electronics
Are Defense Satellites Ready for Space-Based Laser Communications?
The Department of Defense is developing technology for satellites to communicate via lasers. Laser communications could transmit data faster and more securely than traditional radio frequency communications. Read on to learn more.
Application Briefs Manned Systems
GOKBERK C-UAS Testing
Turkish defense company Aselsan completed testing of its mobile laser counter unmanned aircraft system platform GÖKBERK against first-person view drones in March. Previously proven effective against rotary- and fixed-wing kamikaze drones, GÖKBERK has now demonstrated its capabilities for detecting, autonomously tracking, and eliminating FPV drones across multiple test scenarios. Read on to learn more.
Articles AR/AI
AI Automates Drone Defense With High Energy Lasers
To counter the rapidly mounting threats posed by the proliferation of inexpensive uncrewed autonomous systems, or drones, Naval Postgraduate School researchers and collaborators are applying AI to automate critical parts of the tracking system used by laser weapon systems. Read on to learn more about it.
Briefs Unmanned Systems
Army Researchers Develop Chemical Threat Scanning on the Fly
U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center researchers are developing a way to scan for chemical biological agent on surfaces on the fly. It is called Hyperspectral Threat Anomaly Detection, or HyperThreAD for short. Read on to learn more about it.
INSIDER Electronics & Computers
Microsoft, PsiQuantum Designing Quantum Computer Prototypes for DARPA US2QC Program
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has selected Microsoft and PsiQuantum to move to the final design stage of its Underexplored Systems...
Articles Photonics/Optics
Next Level Rugged Fiber Optic Interconnects: A New Era of High-Speed Data Transmission in Defense
In addition to the high level of complexity, the upcoming generation change from fifth- to sixth-generation fighter jets poses major challenges for component suppliers and accelerates the pace of technological competition. Read on to learn more.
Briefs Photonics/Optics
Atomic Fountain for Research in Quantum Sensing Nears Completion of First Phase
Dr. Frank Narducci, Chair of the NPS Department of Physics, and his Ph.D. student U.S. Navy Cmdr. Jens Berdahl, are nearing completion of the first phase of construction in what will be a superlatively precise atomic-based instrument. Read on to learn more about it.
Technology Report Photonics/Optics
CES 2025: Gentex Improves Dimmable Glass Visors with Vanity Mirror
If you are someone who has wrestled with a too-small sun visor in your vehicle, Gentex’s improved dimmable sunshades might be one of the most practical innovations to get...
Technology Report Manufacturing & Prototyping
Ceres Holographics, Appotronics Team for Windshield-Wide Laser HUD
Transparent display pioneer Ceres Holographics and laser display company Appotronics announced on Tuesday an agreement to combine their technologies to create transparent...
INSIDER Electronics & Computers
Using Squeezed Light to Develop Sensors That Defy Defense Limits
Raytheon’s BBN Technologies is developing next-generation, compact, low-power, deployable photonic sensors that will provide users with better awareness of environmental...
Articles RF & Microwave Electronics
Everyday Life, Improved by Light: GRYPHON’s Photonic Discoveries
GRYPHON will leverage recent developments in nonlinear photonics and photonic-electronic integration to develop microwave sources with noise performance that meets or exceeds that of the best discrete oscillator modules. Read on to learn more about the endeavor.
Articles RF & Microwave Electronics
This Laser Clock Could Transform Satellite Navigation Accuracy
A new laser clock from the German Aerospace Center has achieved a record level of accuracy for optical clocks with gas cells: in 30 million years, it would be off by just one second. Read on to learn more about it and what it could mean for satellite navigation accuracy.
Articles Sensors/Data Acquisition
MEMS-Based Accelerometer to Measure Microgravity for In-Orbit Manufacturing
Looking ahead, the continued development of MEMS technology will likely unlock new possibilities for space exploration and utilization, ensuring that projects like ForgeStar remain at the forefront of scientific and technological progress. Read on to learn more.
Briefs Semiconductors & ICs
Researchers Demonstrate the First Chip-Based 3D Printer
Imagine a portable 3D printer you could hold in the palm of your hand. Researchers took a major step toward making this idea a reality by demonstrating the first chip-based 3D printer. The prototype chip has no moving parts, instead relying on an array of tiny optical antennas to steer a beam of light. Read on to learn more.
Briefs Electronics & Computers
Streamlined Microcomb Design Provides Control With The Flip of a Switch
Researchers at the University of Rochester describe new microcomb lasers they have developed that overcome previous limitations and feature a simple design that could open the door to a broad range of uses. Read on to learn more.
Articles RF & Microwave Electronics
Space Lasers: Aiming Towards Next Leap in Global Communications
Space lasers are transforming the world. Not the far-off future of science fiction, but the universe of how data and communications flow today — everywhere from deep space missions to countless applications here on earth, including consumer internet services, military operations, and banking transactions. Read on to learn more.
News Software
AutoSens: Nodar’s Plan to Make Park Assist Tech Better, Cheaper, Cleaner
Park assist technology seems like low-hanging fruit in the assisted and automated driving space, but anyone who’s attempted to use one of these systems might have...
Technology Report AR/AI
SkillReal Says Inexpensive Camera and AI Add up to Faster, Better Inspections
A company says that its digital twin alignment system, incorporating a sophisticated AI algorithm and an off-the-shelf camera, has the potential to revolutionize...
INSIDER Defense
Navy, Marine Corps Test New Laser System for Precision Aircraft Painting
A new capability at Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) is streamlining the aircraft painting process, allowing the depot to decrease maintenance turnaround time and...
News Sensors/Data Acquisition
MEMS Drive Wants to Shake up Automotive Sensor
Advanced optical image stabilization (OIS) technology used in mobile phones should have a home in the automotive world. Specifically, using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) to move an...
INSIDER Aerospace
Space Lasers: Aiming Towards Next Leap in Global Communications
Space lasers are transforming the world. Not the far-off future of science fiction, but the universe of how data and communications flow today — everywhere from deep space...
Briefs Photonics/Optics
NRL Research Physicists Explore Fiber Optic Computing Using Distributed Feedback
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) researchers have outlined a novel contribution in fiber optics computing in a paper recently published in Communications Physics Journal that brings the Navy one step closer to faster, more efficient computing technologies.
Top Stories
INSIDERManufacturing & Prototyping
NASA’s Quiet Supersonic Demonstrator Jet Completes First Flight
INSIDERDefense
AUSA 2025: The Army's New Anti-Vehicle Terrain Shaping Munition is Ready for...
INSIDERManufacturing & Prototyping
AUSA 2025: Secretary Driscoll Wants Army to Save Time and Money by 3D-Printing...
INSIDERDesign
Helsing Unveils New Autonomous Fighter Jet 'CA-1 Europa'
PodcastsManned Systems
Autonomous Targeting Systems for a New Autonomous Ground Vehicle
INSIDERAerospace
AUSA 2025: New CMOSS Chassis, Plug-in-Card Prototypes in Development for Army...
Webcasts
Software
Smarter Machining from Design to Production: Integrated CAM...
AR/AI
Software-Defined Vehicle Summit 2025
Automotive
Leveraging Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality to Optimize...
Aerospace
Vibroacoustic and Shock Analysis for Aerospace and Defense...
Energy
Vehicle Test with R-444A: Better-Performing R-1234yf Direct...
