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Stories about: wavelengths


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Filter Detects Circular Polarized Light

Colorado School of Mines scientists have just create a new type of filter for circular polarized light, bringing the goal of having the ability to control all possible polarizations of visible light one step closer to reality. The achievement opens the way for several high-profile applications. Light filters are ob...

9 February 2012
07:03 GMT

Microwave Invisibility Cloak Conceals 3D Objects

A paper published in the January 25 issue of the New Journal of Physics describes a tube-like structure that is capable of masking three-dimensional objects from microwave light. This invisibility cloak is one of the few out there that is capable of hiding 3D objects from view. The tube itself is made up of insulat...

26 January 2012
07:52 GMT

'Forbidden Colors' Do Exist

Our perception of colors – while pretty good on some occasions – is entirely lacking on others. Researchers highlight two so-called “forbidden colors” that our eyes cannot see due to the very nature of how we perceive colors. The colors are reddish green and yellowish blue. Just to make matt...

17 January 2012
11:12 GMT

'Ring of Fire' Found at the Core of Spiral Galaxy

An international group of astronomers, using multiple telescopes, was recently able to collect an impressive view of the Ring of Fire at the core of the spiral galaxy NGC 4151. The formation looks mesmerizing, and represents one of the clearest views of this region ever collected. This is obviously a composite imag...

27 December 2011
09:29 GMT

NASA Creates Extremely Black Material

A group of engineers at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), in Greenbelt, Maryland, announces the development of an extremely black material. They say that their creation is capable of absorbing more than 99 percent of photons that hit it. This ability extends from far-infrared to ultraviolet wavelengths, ...

9 November 2011
03:45 GMT

Creating the Most Advanced Extreme-Ultraviolet Microscope

Leading semiconductor manufacturers and experts at the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have recently joined forces to create a microscope capable of conducting photolithography, one of the most important aspects of creating microchips. The purpose of this...

29 October 2011
04:49 GMT

Ultrafast Light Sources Investigated at Berkeley Lab

Physicists with the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) say that they are currently working on validating laser plasma accelerator technologies. If successful, their efforts could lead to the establishment of a new class of scientific devices, which could replace ...

23 August 2011
03:33 GMT

Heat-Based Photovoltaics Created at MIT

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in Cambridge, announce the creation of a new type of photovoltaic device, that relies solely on heat to create electricity, rather than sunlight.Though it may seem like a stretch to associate the term photovoltaic to any technology not having to do with ...

28 July 2011
11:02 GMT

Solving the Galactic 'Axis of Evil' Problem

One of the most enduring and difficult mysteries in astronomy today is a conundrum called the “Axis of Evil.” Recently, experts gathered in the United Kingdom to discuss it, as well as the latest measurements conducted on galaxy clusters. What this contradiction refers to is how to measure the weight of t...

4 July 2011
08:03 GMT

Glowing Nanopillars Provide Insight into Biological Cells

A group of physicists at the Stanford University has developed a new method for studying the insides of a cell. The approach, which will benefit neurologists, biologists and a whole bunch of other scientists, is dependent on the use of glowing nanopillars.The novel cellular research platform features pillar-like stru...

7 April 2011
05:06 GMT

Diffraction Limit Broken, Nanoscale Particles Imaged

A group of investigators was recently able to demonstrate that nanoscale objects can be successfully visualized, even if they break a threshold known among experts as the diffraction limits. Scientists in Europe have just demonstrated that this can be done successfully, by using a new type of lens.Generally speaking,...

22 March 2011
12:36 GMT

WISE Takes Its Last Photo of the Sky

Officials at the American space agency announce that their Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) has taken its last image on February 1, 2011. From now on, the telescope will be retired, after spending just 13 months in space. The instrument served a dual purpose for NASA. It carried out a complete survey of the...

12 February 2011
05:35 GMT

Bright, Mid-Infrared Star Targeted in the Study

Astronomers in the United States focused a recent investigation on a very peculiar space body, that is not at all remarkable in the visible light portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, but which shines incredibly bright in the mid-infrared spectrum. This unusual star is located in the Triangulum Galaxy (M33), and i...

20 December 2010
02:55 GMT

Gamma-Ray Burst Dimness Mystery Cracked

Following the biggest and most comprehensive study to date on gamma-ray bursts, experts have now made sense of the factors that make some of the most energetic events in the entire Universe to appear dim when seen in visible light wavelengths. When looking at this energetic light in the gamma-ray portion of the elect...

16 December 2010
07:02 GMT

Room-Temperature Terahertz Lasers Are Possible

Investigators in the United States just published a paper that puts a serious dent in a theory holding that laser operating in the terahertz portion of the electromagnetic spectrum cannot be generated from laser devices functioning at room temperatures. Lasers producing light in these wavelengths have a variety of pr...

16 December 2010
06:46 GMT

Flexible, Light-Bending Metamaterial Developed

A group of scientists from the United States announced the development of a new type of metamaterial, that is capable of bending both light and itself, opening up the way for a new host of applications, such as advanced camouflages. The achievement is significant because it operates in the developing field of metamat...

8 November 2010
03:02 GMT

Science Focuses on Pigs

As Canadians are always one step ahead of everyone else, even in the most improbable domains, they had a team of scientists focusing on pork.Actually, this new technique developed by a team of researchers at McGill University, in collaboration with Agriculture Canada and the pork industry, was built to determine thin...

5 November 2010
06:23 GMT

Tunable Metamaterial Created

Physicists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have recently demonstrated that, by stretching metamaterials, they can dynamically change the wavelength of infrared light the structure naturally responds to.Metamaterials are constructs put together by humans, a variety of materials that is able to infl...

8 October 2010
09:44 GMT

SOFIA May Answer Many Galactic Mysteries

The newly-completed SOFIA airborne telescope may hold the key to unlocking some of the mysteries our galaxy hides, such as for example how it was possible for millions of stars to develop in the presence of a supermassive black hole. The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) was developed by the Am...

26 August 2010
03:00 GMT

New Color Filter Relies on Nanostructuring

Restructuring the gratings in a new nanoscale filter can result in the production of white and colored light, researchers at the University of Michigan report in a new scientific study. The team here has developed an advanced type of color filter, which is made out of nanoscale sheets of metal, which are impossibly t...

25 August 2010
04:16 GMT

Optical Antenna Breaks New Ground

In a development that could see devices such as quantum computers and quantum cryptography circuits becoming more capable and efficient than eve, researchers developed a new type of optical antenna, that can easily make devices handling small amounts of photons better. The achievement was reached in Barcelona, Spain,...

24 August 2010
05:29 GMT

A Bad Mix: Green Lasers and Infrared Light

Even the most inexpensive green lasers may be more harmful to the eyes and one's health than initially calculated, say experts who looked at how much infrared light the devices emit. Generally, a ball point pen-sized green laser device can be bought from anywhere in the United States for about $15. Manufacturers...

12 August 2010
08:56 GMT

Old Galaxies Reveal Massive Rings

A new finding shows that massive galaxies that are extremely old can be infused with new “life.” Researchers identified massive rings of ultraviolet light surrounding them, and say that these structures represent a “second lease on life” for the aging space formations.These rings, which are on...

12 August 2010
04:46 GMT

Michigan Tech Professor Builds Invisibility Cloak

For many years, science-fiction and fantasy writers have been inspired by the idea of making something or someone disappear from view. Be it a cloak, a potion, a spell or a ring, plot lines always feature a device that can render things invisible, hiding them from danger, or allowing them to slip by unnoticed. But, f...

22 July 2010
06:09 GMT

Galactic Collisions Changed Black Hole's Axis

Experts using the NASA Chandra X-ray Observatory discovered one of the most peculiar black holes ever. The cosmic structure has apparently been knocked off its own axis twice throughout its history, most likely following violent collisions between two galaxies. Researchers say that these are the only cosmic event suf...

22 July 2010
04:16 GMT

Determining If Dark Energy Actually Exists

Astrophysicists can now use a new scientific method to determine whether things such as dark energy actually exist. This concept, for example, was introduced decades ago, in order to explain why galaxies were found to be pushing away from each other. It is currently widely accepted that dark energy makes up for about...

22 July 2010
02:50 GMT

How the Atmosphere Interacts with Solar Winds

Determining and predicting the nature and behavior of space weather is one of the main goals in astronomy and planetary sciences today. Back in 1985, researchers Ajello and Shemansk published a well-respected document, on which modern interpretations of how space weather influences our planet is based. But new data s...

8 June 2010
06:44 GMT

Black Hole for Microwaves Created

Most people know that black holes exist at the core of massive galaxies, where they exert their huge gravitational pull on surrounding matter. But what is generally less known is the fact that black holes can also be produced artificially, although these objects only act like their cosmic counterparts to some limited...

4 June 2010
08:37 GMT

SOFIA Gets Ready for 'First Light'

Engineers and officials at the American space agency NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) have every right to be excited these days. Their innovative telescope, the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is getting ready to see first light, have just concluded a vast array of validation tests ...

24 May 2010
09:59 GMT

SDO Officially Begins Science Mission

Experts at the American space agency are thrilled to announce that their newest Sun-observing telescope has just finished its post-launch check, which means that it has begun its science mission phase. The major accomplishment was achieved on May 14, when the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), the most advanced spacec...

19 May 2010
03:57 GMT

First Sub-Wavelength Laser that Operates at Room Temperature

A group of investigators at the University of California in San Diego (UCSD), led by the head of the Ultrafast and Nanoscale Optics Group, Yeshaiahu Fainman, announced recently the development of the smallest sub-wavelength laser ever. In addition to this mark, the team also broke a new record, as they produced the f...

6 May 2010
06:47 GMT

First All-Sky Infrared Catalogs Released After 25 Years

All-sky surveys represent one of the most important tools in astronomy today. They allow experts to set reference points for their studies, and also to compare various celestial objects between themselves, and with newly discovered ones. For the first time in more than a quarter of a century, a new series of infrared...

5 May 2010
11:00 GMT

New Way of Creating Tunable-Wavelength Lasers

A team of German investigators has recently developed a new way of using quantum-dot lasers for producing tunable wavelengths of light. This is a very important characteristic of lasers, and it is sought-after by many researchers in the international community. Usually, the light-amplification devices only accelerate...

14 April 2010
16:01 GMT

LOFAR Telescope Produces First Data

When it comes to exploring the Universe by building new telescopes, astronomers need to first select the wavelength range of the electromagnetic spectrum their new instrument will be sensitive to. Most observatories select “conventional” ranges, be they for radio, X-ray, infrared, ultraviolet or visible l...

13 April 2010
03:33 GMT

The Origins of Galactic Magnetic Fields Identified

For a long time, astronomers have wondered how is it that galaxies get to be so heavily magnetized. These space structures feature strong magnetic fields that play a huge role in the way they are set up, organized, and so on. Following a new series of investigations, experts now believe they may have finally found ou...

2 April 2010
04:28 GMT

Spitzer Snaps Amazing Photo of Orion Nebula

Scientists at the American space agency have just revealed the latest image they produced of the famous Orion Nebula. The photograph, which was snapped using the NASA Spitzer Space Telescope, one of the four Great Observatories the agency built, shows in great detail the active stellar formation processes taking plac...

2 April 2010
03:59 GMT

Hyperspectral Imaging Now a Mainstream Reality

About four decades ago, in the 1970s, experts began taking photos of our environment from orbital satellites using multi-spectral remote sensors. These instruments produced pictures that have a small number of braid wavelength bands, but they allowed for experts to gain a deeper insight into everything around us. The...

31 March 2010
09:33 GMT

Time-Reversed Lasers Discovered

Lasers are some of the most useful scientific equipment ever devised. They have contributed to the development of many fields of research and have led to countless innovations, from medicine to particle physics. They work by amplifying certain wavelengths of light, by bouncing photons back and forth between two surfa...

29 March 2010
06:47 GMT

New Class of Fluorescent Probes in the Works

State-of-the-art in live cell fluorescent imaging is a method for tracking the intricate activities taking place inside living cells, and its results are so clear, that they can set the foundation for new types of treatments for a variety of diseases. But the method could further be enhanced via the addition of new c...

26 March 2010
03:25 GMT

UV Radiation Controls Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a terrible disease that affects millions of people worldwide, and produces devastating consequences for the human body. At this point, there is little researchers can do in terms of finding a cure for this condition, and most course of treatment are aimed at relieving some of the pain assoc...

23 March 2010
09:55 GMT

New Nanowire Alloy Will Promote Innovation

At this point, nanowire technology counts as one of the most promising in the world, with enormous potential applications for a wide array of fields. Usually made out of alloy materials, these very thin wires can be used in the electronics industry, or for designing new medical tools and new processors. In recent adv...

22 March 2010
06:02 GMT

First 3D Invisibility Cloak Created

Not two years ago, researchers managed to create the first 2D “invisibility cloak,” a material that was capable of concealing an object viewed from a fixed location by an observer. This was accomplished by manipulating the light hitting that object in such a manner that the photons were routed around it, ...

19 March 2010
06:22 GMT

Mare Crisium Could Be the Target of New Missions

While the Space Race was on between the Soviet Union and the United States, during the Cold War, Russians sent numerous landers on the Moon. Some of these machines, including the Luna 23 and Luna 24 spacecrafts, landed in a region called Mare Crisium, which is even today considered to be one of the most interesting p...

12 March 2010
16:01 GMT

'Sound Lasers' Are Here

Experts have for the first time ever been able to develop so-called lasers with a twist, which are capable of emitting sounds rather than light. The system is based on very small drum heads, and a number of vibrating towers, which allow scientists to fulfill this goal. Laser stands for light amplification by stimulat...

26 February 2010
10:47 GMT

Tabletop X-ray Laser Coming Soon

For the better part of the last 20 years, University of Colorado in Boulder (UCB) physics professors Margaret Murnane and Henry Kapteyn have been inching towards creating a tabletop X-ray laser at a snail's pace. As the old adagio goes, slowly but surely, they managed to set a very solid foundation for their wor...

22 February 2010
07:04 GMT

Two Telescopes Could Detect Most NEOs

A recent review has determined that the American space agency is severely underfunded for the mission the Congress has appointed for it – detecting most near-Earth objects (NEOs). These objects include comets, asteroids, meteorites and other rocks that could be set on a collision course to our planet. NASA need...

5 February 2010
04:34 GMT

Coolest Brown Dwarf Ever, Discovered Nearby

Researchers at the University of Hertfordshire led an international team of astronomers in making one of the most peculiar discoveries in a long time. The group managed to identify a sub-stellar body technically known as a brown dwarf right in our neighborhood, inside the Local Fluff. The space object may very well b...

1 February 2010
11:04 GMT

Weird Supernova Blast Resembles a GRB

In a recent discovery, experts have found a distant stellar explosion that did not behave in the manner expected from such a cosmic event. Namely, the supernova had some of the traits similar to a powerful gamma-ray burst (GRB), but was not exactly either of the two phenomena. Astrophysicists believe that future stud...

28 January 2010
03:44 GMT

WISE Begins Infrared All-Sky Survey

The recently launched WISE telescope began its survey mission yesterday, once experts concluded that all of its systems were up and operational according to specifications. The new instrument reached orbit on December 14, and mission controllers have been dealing with testing and calibrating it ever since. Its lens c...

15 January 2010
16:01 GMT

Mid-Infrared QC Laser Most Efficient in the World

For the first time since quantum cascade lasers (QCL) were created, physicists have managed to improve their efficiency to such a degree that the devices are able to produce more light than heat. This is a wonderful breakthrough in this field of research, scientists at the Northwestern University say. All the work le...

12 January 2010
06:06 GMT


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