In a paper published online in Nature Photonics on October 9, researchers blended multiple self-assembled molecules to form high-entropy molecular contacts, improving hole transport and achieving efficient and stable perovskite solar cells.
In a paper published online in Nature Photonics on October 9, researchers modulated population transfer in helium atoms from the ground state to the metastable state by controlling the phase of interfering stimulated Raman pathways in the extreme ultraviolet (XUV) range.
Researchers proposed the SF-PULSE lensless imaging method, which can monitor living cells over long periods without staining, and successfully imaged and reconstructed glioblastoma cells.
Why we recommend it: The source demonstrates an imaging route that replaces lenses with computational reconstruction, offering insights for low-cost microscopy
Lightwave reports a market research forecast that, driven by AI data center construction, the Ethernet optical transceiver market will grow 120% in 2026.
Lightwave broadband buildout roundup: Greenlight Networks is advancing its fiber expansion in New Jersey, while operators including Comcast, GoNetspeed, Optimum, Shentel, Spectrum and TDS Telecom are also expanding their networks.
The industrialization project for ultra-precision high-performance optical thin films by Huzhou Zhongteng Huasheng Optoelectronics has completed fit-out in Shuanglin Town and entered trial production. At full capacity, it will produce 1 million optical thin film units per year, with expected annual sales revenue exceeding 40 million yuan.
Wuhan Yuanxi Photonics has closed an angel funding round worth tens of millions of yuan, with investors including CASSTAR and Hongshan Capital. Founded in late 2025, the company will focus on metasurface optical chip R&D and product introduction, targeting two major markets: intelligent 3D sensing and data center optical interconnects.
O-Film is reportedly the core optics supplier for the Huawei Pura 90 Pro and Pro Max, exclusively supplying the main camera and 200 MP periscope telephoto modules for both models. The Pro Max's external telephoto system is also supplied by O-Film, which has invested in dedicated equipment and carried out renewed process validation for the project.
Ghost imaging replaces pixelated sensors with correlation measurements between structured illumination and a single-pixel detector. Researchers combined an optical frequency comb with deep learning to achieve faster, higher-fidelity ghost imaging.
Why we recommend it: The original article shows the combination of frequency comb illumination with AI reconstruction, a typical example of optics and AI working together in computational imaging
The US Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced a modernization of what it calls outdated vehicle lighting standards.
Dolphin Research continues its breakdown of Lumentum: EMLs anchor the profit base of pluggable optical modules, while high-power discrete UHP CW lasers bet on next-generation CPO/NPO architectures. With high-end laser chips severely undersupplied, leading manufacturers with in-house capacity are reaping price increases, long-term orders and rising gross margins at the same time.
A Laser Focus World article notes that surging industry interest in MicroLED co-packaged optics (CPO) reflects its many advantages, though technical challenges remain to be solved.
Why we recommend it: The original article reviews the advantages and challenges of MicroLED's move from displays to optical interconnects, helping assess the maturity of this CPO approach
LightCounting's latest report says the Ethernet optical module market had been expected to slow in 2026, but data from the first nine months defied expectations: cloud providers' capital spending accelerated sharply from late January to early February and remained strong over the following six months. The full-year Ethernet optical module market is now forecast to grow 120%.
Why we recommend it: The original article explains that the upward revision was driven by cloud providers' capital expenditures, helping to gauge the scale of AI-driven demand for optical modules
A paper in Light: Science & Applications uses spatiotemporally resolved terahertz emission nanoscopy to observe ultrafast charge and spin currents in spintronic devices, providing detailed insights for next-generation technologies such as high-efficiency solar cells.
A paper in Light: Science & Applications proposes photonic thermal management for overhead transmission cables using high-thermal-conductivity radiative cooling materials, lowering cable temperatures to boost grid operating capacity.
An Optica journal paper reports a wide-field coherent multidimensional spectroscopy microscope (2DESM) that uses ultrashort laser pulses to map the spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of electron interactions in thin materials.
The Lightwave podcast reviews the highlights of SCTE TechExpo26.
Laser Focus World has launched a podcast series covering a roundup of photonics news.
A paper in Science reports that researchers entangled a levitated glass nanosphere with an optical field in an optical trap, achieving the feat at room temperature and providing a new platform for studying macroscopic quantum mechanics.
Why we recommend it: The original work achieves entanglement between a macroscopic object and light at room temperature, making it relevant to optomechanics and quantum sensing.
The High-precision Main Greenhouse gas Imaging instrument (HMI) aboard the Pujiang-4 satellite began imaging on September 27 and downlinked its first data. The instrument's developer, Xiong Wei's team at the Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (AIOFM), conducted a preliminary assessment showing that the payload's functions and performance meet design requirements. HMI uses an information modulation technique combining spatial imaging and spectral interferometry; in a 520 km orbit it acquires hyperspectral data with a 30 km swath, spatial resolution better than 400 m, and spectral resolution better than 0.125 nm. Based on the first data, the team preliminarily estimated the methane emission rate of the Bogatyr open-pit mine in Kazakhstan at about 27.52±1.70 tons per hour.
Why we recommend it: The original article gives HMI's swath width, spatial resolution and spectral resolution, and uses the first data to estimate methane emission rates at a mining site, showing the on-orbit performance of the combined spatial imaging and spectral interferometry scheme.
Laser Focus World reports that the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded for research revealing how and why homochirality arose.
Phys.org reports that pink cricket balls were introduced for day-night matches more than a decade ago, and the International Cricket Council approved trials this June; research shows that the visibility of pink balls under different lighting conditions is not always ideal.
photonicSENS received the VISION Award at VISION 2026 in Stuttgart for its plenoptic camera, which can capture a full 2D image and metric depth information simultaneously.
ENGO has launched the engo Titanium AR smart glasses for road runners and cyclists, weighing 28.9 g and featuring adjustable 3D-printed titanium temples.
Infleqtion, working with Honeywell Aerospace and the University of California, Santa Barbara, has developed an integrated optical cavity that could help shrink quantum sensors to handheld size.
Machine vision LED lighting maker TPL Vision has acquired the intellectual property of Drew Lear Technology's DRX and DLX product platforms.
Engineers at the University of California, San Diego, have demonstrated a new method for switching magnetic information in materials without an applied magnetic field, using specially shaped ultrafast laser beams.
Why we recommend it: The original article demonstrates the use of structured light in all-optical magnetic storage, offering relevant insights for light-controlled magnetic recording
Pimax has released the Crystal Pro wireless PC VR headset, priced at $1,399, with a quantum dot LCD (QLED) panel, 2880×2880 pixels per eye and a 110-degree field of view; it also unveiled ring-free VR controllers and the Spation mini PC.
Electro Optics reports that the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded for optogenetics research, a technology that uses light to control individual nerve cells in the living brain.
A paper in ACS Nano uses X-ray techniques to observe in real time the structural response of a quantum material after an ultrafast laser pulse strikes a crystal. Fabricating quantum devices often begins with deliberately damaging a crystal with ultrafast lasers, and this method could help clarify the process.
Lightwave reports that data center capital spending rose 92% year over year in the second quarter, driven by AI demand and rising memory costs.
Researchers have demonstrated a new chip-scale optical frequency comb formation process in which two lasers interact, enabling a range of precision measurements and showing potential for use in portable atomic clocks.
Why we recommend it: The original article explains the path from chip-based frequency combs to portable timing, serving as a reference for integrated photonic precision measurement
Hamamatsu Photonics and MEETOPTICS have announced a partnership to exclusively integrate MEETOPTICS' scientific AI chat tool into Hamamatsu's product portfolio, helping users find photonic components.
Zhone Technologies has acquired Tellabs Access, deepening its optical LAN capabilities and expanding into government, education, healthcare, transportation and enterprise network markets.
Optica congratulates Francis Halzen of the University of Wisconsin on receiving the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Laser Focus World reports that the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to Francis Halzen for his work on the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, which uses light detectors in the ice to capture neutrino signals.
In an interview, NVision CTO Ilai Schwartz explains that the company is betting on chemically designed photonic interconnects, which it believes will make modular quantum computing hardware scalable, with a single chip potentially holding up to 100,000 molecular qubits.
AR glasses display developer Cellid has partnered with Japanese eyewear retailer Megane Top to jointly develop and sell AR glasses.
Schneider Electric has agreed to acquire industrial engineering software company PTC in an all-cash deal worth $22.6 billion. PTC owns the Vuforia augmented reality product line.
A Laser Focus World article outlines the key process parameters for laser welding Nitinol, including shielding gas delivery, heat control and post-weld treatment, along with methods for assessing weld quality.