Out of the lab

New forms of advanced optical fibres featuring exotic glasses, carefully designed microstructures and cores that are either hollow, fluidic, semiconductor or piezoelectric are giving light guides a new lease of life, reports Duncan Graham-Rowe.

Could lasers directly driven by sunlight help address the planet's energy generation problems? Japanese scientists are optimistic, reports Duncan Graham-Rowe.

Strain gauges that change colour when stressed, bright backlight-free displays and highly sensitive biological sensors are all potential applications of tunable photonic crystal materials, reports Duncan Graham-Rowe.

Quantum dots — semiconductor nanocrystals that have custom designable optical properties — are opening up opportunities in the bio-imaging, display and lighting sectors, reports Duncan Graham-Rowe.

Self-organizing liquid crystals could spawn a new breed of extremely useful and cheap tunable lasers. Such lasers may ultimately prove to be useful for creating flat-screen displays with better colours, enhanced sensors and compact medical instruments. Duncan Graham-Rowe takes a closer look.

Photoacoustic imaging, using laser light to stimulate the emission of ultrasonic waves from tissue inside the human body, potentially offers a route to far deeper imaging than possible with conventional optical techniques, reports Duncan Graham-Rowe.

Accurate and efficient testing is essential for ensuring the quality and safety of the food we eat. Whereas most analysis methods are destructive, Duncan Graham-Rowe reports that optical techniques are not only non-invasive but in some cases can also assess nutritional content.

A visit to a dental clinic could cease to be a fearsome experience. Duncan Graham-Rowe finds out how lasers can help dentists to provide patients with more comfortable and convenient dental treatments.

The pollutant emissions and high-energy consumption of combustion engines using conventional spark plugs have long been serious environmental problems. Now, it has been demonstrated that lasers can provide a feasible green alternative. Duncan Graham-Rowe reports.

Although electronic paper that can display monochrome static images has been growing in popularity, the next generation of products will soon be capable of displaying video in full colour. Duncan Graham-Rowe reports.

The idea of using quantum optics to protect the transmission of sensitive data is becoming a commercial reality and starting to be deployed. Duncan Graham-Rowe takes a look at recent progress in quantum cryptography.

As the size of handheld gadgets decreases, their displays become harder to view. The solution could lie with integrated projectors that can project crisp, large images from mobile devices onto any chosen surface. Duncan Graham-Rowe reports.

Optical coherence tomography is rapidly becoming an important clinical tool, which provides high-resolution images that cannot be obtained by other means. Duncan Graham-Rowe spoke to a few of the companies developing the technology.

The idea of photovoltaic cells that can be printed onto thin, flexible plastic substrates are an enticing prospect for promoting solar energy generation. Duncan Graham-Rowe reports.

A growing number of enterprises around the world are now commercializing fibre Bragg grating sensors for sensing everything from temperature and pressure to vibration and strain. Duncan Graham-Rowe reports.

Following years of development, electronic paper is now entering ebooks, mobile phones and signs, and, as Duncan Graham-Rowe reports, is starting to gain the market acceptance that it has long strived for.

Holographic disk drives have long promised to eclipse even the latest high-density optical storage media. Now finally, as Duncan Graham-Rowe reports, the promising three-dimensional approach to storing information is about to make its debut.

Imaging and spectroscopy equipment that exploits terahertz waves rather than visible or infrared light is now being developed by several firms around the world. Duncan Graham-Rowe spoke to a few of them to catch up with the latest developments.

Electronics firms, fashion houses and medical-equipment suppliers are all busy developing textiles that blend photonics technology with materials science. Duncan Graham-Rowe reports on the striking results of their endeavours.