Video: October 6, 2023 Photonics Hot List

In this episode, we cover SLAC’s x-ray light source upgrade, a tiny robot that operates via light and radio waves, a low-cost ultrahigh-speed camera, and the winners of the 2023 Nobel Prizes in Physics and Chemistry.

Justine Murphy

Oct. 6, 2023

In this episode of Photonics Hot List...

A major laser upgrade a decade in the making is ushering in a new era of science. Completed at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, the enhanced LCLS-II is now the world’s fastest x-ray free-electron laser in history.

No batteries required: The MilliMobile mini robot developed by a team at the University of Washington runs solely on the light sources and radio waves around it. Supplemented by a control algorithm, the device can navigate itself, including toward light sources for more power.

Researchers have found a camera solution that doesn’t compromise performance or quality, and doesn’t break the bank. Researchers from INRS, Concordia University, and Meta Platforms have developed an ultrahigh-speed camera built with off-the-shelf components.

The 2023 Nobel Prize awards have been announced. The prize in Physics goes to the creation of extremely short pulses of light that can be used to study electron dynamics in matter. The prize in Chemistry recognizes the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots.

About the Author

Justine Murphy

Multimedia Director, Digital Infrastructure

Justine Murphy is the multimedia director for Endeavor Business Media's Digital Infrastructure Group. She is a multiple award-winning writer and editor with more 20 years of experience in newspaper publishing as well as public relations, marketing, and communications. For nearly 10 years, she has covered all facets of the optics and photonics industry as an editor, writer, web news anchor, and podcast host for an internationally reaching magazine publishing company. Her work has earned accolades from the New England Press Association as well as the SIIA/Jesse H. Neal Awards. She received a B.A. from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.