Credit: POSTECH
The team's lab setup.
Inspired by diffractive deep neural networks, researchers create a metasurface hologram ‘optical lock’ that reveals its image/message only under the correct physical setup.
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FIGURE 1. Top: schematic diagram of the dual-sided laser processing system; lower left: 3D ray tracing layout from Ansys OpticStudio (green and blue rays represent the two split beams); and lower right: a magnified view shows simultaneous processing on opposite substrate sides.
Credit: OpenLight
Architectural layout of a 5 × 7-mm 400G per lane photonic circuit with heterogeneously integrated lasers, modulators, and amplifiers.
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Learning Resources

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Sponsored
Join us as Dr. Gretarsson reveals how advances in mirror design and laser technology are shaping the next generation of gravitational wave detectors—and what it will take to explore...
March 18, 2026
Courtesy of Avantier Inc
Case Study: Ultra-Lightweight Large-Aperture Mirrors
Introduction In the rapidly evolving sectors of Earth observation, astronomical research, and deep-space exploration, the demand for high-resolution imaging systems has reached...
Feb. 6, 2026
Courtesy of Avantier Inc
Case Study: Custom Germanium Lens Production for Low-Visibility Applications
Project Background: Germanium Lens for Low-Visibility Applications A client approached us to develop a custom germanium lens designed for use in low-visibility environments...
Feb. 2, 2026
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Sponsored
Explore how deep learning is transforming computational microscopy—from virtual histological staining to fast, low‑cost sensing. See how AI is redefining biomedical imaging. Register...
March 26, 2026

Podcast

Lasers/Sources

Credit: TRUMPF
FIGURE 1. A high-speed data component laser-welded with a green laser beam.
As global demand for data centers soars, so do the stakes for flawless data transmission. Green wavelength lasers paired with AI-driven process check and inspection ensure precision...
Feb. 4, 2026
Credit: Mortiz Gittinger
Daniel Timmer (front) and Moritz Gittinger in the lab working on the 2DES setup.
Researchers move a step closer to femtosecond switching of ‘light by light’ for photonic computing based on polaritons.
Feb. 2, 2026
Credit: TOPTICA Photonics
FIGURE 1. Illustration of tunable diode lasers and adjacent technologies manufactured by TOPTICA Photonics for quantum applications, along with wavelength coverage and available output powers.
By leveraging tunable diode lasers and a synergetic combination of public and private investments and partnerships, the industry can speed development and adoption of photonic...
Jan. 28, 2026
Credit: KAIST
(L-R) Junyong Choi, Woonsong Jeong, Jungwon Kim, and Jihoon Baek inside the antenna receiver room at KVN Pyeongchang radio telescope.
Researchers apply the precision of optical frequency combs to radio telescopes to synchronize the observation timing and phase of faint cosmic signals—and lay the foundation for...
Jan. 27, 2026

Optics

Credit: Scintil Photonics
DWDM CPO advantages.
Dense wavelength-division multiplexing copackaged optics technology offers architectural advantages in cost, power, and performance that will compound as AI infrastructure scales...
Feb. 3, 2026
Credit: Alù and Cotrufo
FIGURE 1. Schematic of the functionality of the team’s metasurface (left), and a scanning electron microscope image of the device.
A new nonlinear metasurface retains nonlocal, high-Q enhancement while preserving subwavelength per-pixel phase control—and it’s a big step toward on-chip visible/ultraviolet ...
Feb. 2, 2026
Traditional optics are fixed in functionality. The future is programmable optics, where a single chip can be programmed with any optical function.
Active metasurfaces are ushering in a new era of programmable optics.
Jan. 30, 2026
Credit: Osaka Metropolitan University
Spin size affects the way the system behaves. At spin-1/2, fully quantum spins pair up and cancel each other out (no magnetism). Spins >1/2 create magnetic order (magnetism).
Researchers discover a single quantum parameter—the size of its spin—acts as a switch that flips its magnetism. This discovery offers a new way to think about how quantum states...
Jan. 29, 2026

Quantum

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LFW’s editorial board shares their quick thoughts about the most intriguing things they saw happen within the optics/photonics/quantum realm in 2025, as well as emerging trends...
Dec. 26, 2025
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Here's a look back at the 10 most-popular articles we published in 2025.
Dec. 22, 2025
Credit: Purdue University/Kevin Crisp
Professor Vladimir Shalaev with the team’s optical setup. Credit: Purdue University/Kevin Crisp
Purdue University researchers demonstrate a photonic transistor at single-photon intensities—and solve a long-standing roadblock to photonic computing.
Dec. 19, 2025
Credit: Alex Demkov
A 200-mm barium titanate (BaTiO3) wafer from La Luce Cristallina.
AI, quantum computing, and ultralow-power networking are poised to transform the technology ecosystem, and barium titanate offers a pathway to industrial scalability.
Dec. 18, 2025

Test/Measurement

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Laser Focus World announces the winners of its 2025 annual Innovators Awards program.
Dec. 17, 2025
Credit: University of Applied Sciences Biberach (https://p-inst.com/life-science)
Widefield microscope image of a DAPI-stained mouse head; sagittal plane: 4x, 0.2 NA.
Recent advances in photonics are revolutionizing life sciences by enabling unprecedented precision for imaging, surgical procedures, and diagnostics.
Dec. 17, 2025
Credit: Capt. Ray Jourdain, Ice Pilots, Canada
FIGURE 1. Icing accumulating on deck due to prow spray.
Work is underway to develop a standardized sea spray LiDAR system that works with artificial intelligence to deliver real-time data and early warnings to shipmasters about icing...
Dec. 11, 2025
Credit: North Carolina State University
The new spectrometer is just a few square millimeters in size, but sensitive enough to accurately measure a broader range of wavelengths than is currently possible with conventional technologies.
A miniature spectrometer that could fit onto a smartphone shows promise for a wide range of applications—from biomedical diagnostics to manufacturing.
Dec. 5, 2025

Detectors/Imaging

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Episode 88 of Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast features Barry Silverstein, director of the University of Rochester Center for eXtended Reality.
Feb. 3, 2026
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Episode 85 of Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast features Craig Bandes, president and CEO of Pixelligent Technologies.
Jan. 6, 2026
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Episode 80 of Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast features Part Two of our interview with Dr. Aydogan Ozcan, Chancellor's Professor at UCLA and HHMI Professor at Howard...
Dec. 2, 2025
Credit: Enablence Technologies
FIGURE 1. Flash (a) vs. scan (b) LiDAR.
Solid-state frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) LiDAR systems integrate scanning, modulation, and detection directly into a single device—and it’s why costs are dropping...
Nov. 28, 2025

Executive Forum

Credit: Bernard Lee
FIGURE 1. Drivers of the optical network evolution.
Jan. 23, 2026
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Jan. 13, 2026
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Dec. 23, 2025
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Dec. 16, 2025