Institute of Optics Archives - Page 4 of 17 - News Center

Two researchers wearing protective eyewear manipulate the equipment in an optics lab to produce surface acoustic waves.

Science & Technology

New surface acoustic wave techniques could lead to surfing a quantum internet

Researchers have developed new methods to couple light to sound waves that glide on surfaces.

Close-up of a Black person's eye with a multicolored light falling on it to illustrate how retinal ganglion cells function.

Health & Medicine

Are these newly found rare cells a missing link in color perception?

Rochester researchers harnessed adaptive optics to gain insight into the complex workings of the retina and its role in processing color.

Two pairs of University of Rochester-branded solar eclipse glasses against a white background.

Science & Technology

The science behind solar eclipse glasses

An optics professor explains how eclipse glasses protect your eyes from the sun’s light during an eclipse.

The sun seen in space with plasma oscillations occurring on the surface.

Science & Technology

Plasma oscillations propel breakthroughs in fusion energy

Rochester researchers have discovered a new class of plasma oscillations, paving the way for improved particle accelerators and commercial fusion energy.

Artist's rendering of Europa Clipper Spacecraft flying over a Jupiter's Europa moon.

Campus & Community

Coursework: Advanced Lens Design teaches optics through teamwork

February 23, 2024

A popular optical engineering course equips students with technical and professional skills while putting them on the radar of industry-connected alumni.

Black-and-white photo of Brian J. Thompson working with an optical setup.

Science & Technology

Brian J. Thompson, provost emeritus and professor emeritus of optics, remembered

February 2, 2024

Thompson was a longtime University leader and a pioneer in optics and holography.

Close-up of tweezers holding µSiM chip of the kind University of Rochester’s Translational Center for Barrier Microphysiological Systems (TraCe-bMPS).

Health & Medicine

New NIH-funded center could soon reduce the need for pharmaceutical trials on animals

January 9, 2024

Rochester is one of four NIH-sponsored centers that aims to produce tissue-on-chip devices as FDA-qualified drug development tools.

view from the International Space Station with a large white arm and tube in front of a blue space backdrop.

Science & Technology

New tools will help study quantum chemistry aboard the International Space Station

November 15, 2023

Rochester Professor Nicholas Bigelow helped develop experiments conducted at NASA’s Cold Atom Lab to probe the fundamental nature of the world around us.

Computer simulation of quasiparticles being used to create super-bright light sources.

Science & Technology

Scientists propose super-bright light sources powered by quasiparticles

October 19, 2023

The seemingly physics-defying properties of quasiparticles could be harnessed for applications ranging from non-destructive imaging to computer-chip manufacturing.

closeup image of a photonic chip that could use weak value amplification, in front of a blurred red and blue background.

Science & Technology

Photonic chips could give drones a lift when GPS is unavailable

October 13, 2023

Rochester researchers aim to leverage the quantum technique of weak value amplification to replace the gyroscopes in drones.