Cover Story
Optofluidics: A Light Stream Interface
Carlos López-Mariscal
Through the burgeoning field of optofluidics, researchers are using fluids to create adaptive optical systems at the microscopic scale, with applications in biophotonics, information processing and sensing. more>>
How the Laser Launched Nonlinear Optics
Jeff Hecht
If the laser was a solution, nonlinear optics was one of the problems it was seeking. Intense pulses of coherent, monochromatic light were just what was needed to produce nonlinear effects. Once physicists got their first lasers, nonlinear optics blossomed in a golden age of discovery. more>>
Wireless-Over-Fiber Technology—Bringing the Wireless World Indoors
Chin-Pang Liu and Alwyn Seeds
The explosive growth of the Internet would not have been possible without optical fiber, which enables the movement of enormous amounts of data over thousands of kilometers. In an increasingly important application of wireless technology, fiber is being used to transport radio frequency signals and enhance coverage in buildings. more>>
Controlling Gas Flow with Light
Yvonne Carts-Powell
A "smart" membrane, developed by graduate student Eric Glowacki and his advisor Kenneth Marshall at the University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics, blocks gas when illuminated by ultraviolet light, but permits gas to flow when lit by purple light. more>>
Chemistry for Harvesting Sunlight
Yvonne Carts-Powell
Researchers reported advances in molecular systems for efficient solar energy conversion and storage at the recent American Chemical Society meeting in Boston (Massachusetts, U.S.A.). more>>