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Coaxial Holographic Data Recording

Atsushi Fukumoto

Holographic memory surpasses all other optical memories in both data density and data-transfer rate—but its development has lagged behind disk technologies. The coaxial recording method may enable holography to become an integral part of the optical storage marketplace of the future. more>>

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Optical Interference Coatings: Three Manufacturing Problems

J.A. Dobrowolski, Stephen Browning, Michael Jacobson and Maria Nadal

How can one produce a thin-film filter that reproduces irregular spectral transmittance and reflectance curves for near-normal incident light? How about filters intended for use at oblique angles of incidence? These problems were part of a unique thin-film manufacturing competition at OSA’s Topical Meeting on Optical Interference Coatings. more>>

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The Earth Is Not Flat: An Analysis of a Sunset Photo

Robert J. Vanderbei

Can a photo of the sunset over Lake Michigan reveal the shape of our planet? more>>

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The Magical World of Photonic Metamaterials

Ekmel Ozbay

Metamaterials have opened a world of new possibilities that would have seemed like science fiction a decade ago, including subwavelength imaging, super lenses, perfect lenses and cloaking. more>>

Lasers Manipulate Quantum Dots for Cryptography

Yvonne Carts-Powell

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Joint Quantum Institute have measured, for the first time, the complete biexciton-exciton emission spectrum of a single quantum. more>>

Did You Know?

Yvonne Carts-Powell

3D images of the internal structure of an aerogel. more>>

Putting Plasmons Through Their Paces

Yvonne Carts-Powell

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have found that a number of unusual effects are possible when light is guided along a chain of metal nanoparticles—including the generation of wave packets that move faster than the speed of light. more>>

Education

Turning High Schoolers into High-Energy Physicists

Randy Ruchti and Mitchell Wayne

An educational program called QuarkNet places high school students and teachers at the frontier of particle physics. more>>

Global Optics

The Applied Optics Complutense Group: A Spanish Story

J.A. Quiroga and A. González-Cano

Two scientists from the Complutense University of Madrid explore the evolution of their research group, in the context of the major cultural and political changes that have swept through Spain over the past three decades. more>>

Light Touch

Of Cats and Lasers: A Patently Absurd Tale

Stephen R. Wilk

If you can’t get a patent for putting an eraser on the end of a pencil, how did someone get one for using a laser pointer to play with a cat? more>>

Photo Contest

And the Winners Are...

Results from OPN’s third annual After Image Photo Contest. more>>

Policy Matters

The Globalization of Science

Tom Price

International collaboration is becoming the new standard for scientific research and industry. more>>

The History of OSA

A Profile of Walter Baird

John N. Howard

Walter Scott Baird is one of the unsung heroes of OSA. Although he never served as an OSA president or won any of the Society’s awards, he probably did more to bring the Society in step with modern times than any other individual. more>>