Caltech chip steers one light beam with another in 74 femtoseconds
A chip built at Caltech can use one beam of light to steer another to a new angle in 74 femtoseconds, according to a paper published June 22 in Nature Nanotechnology. That is roughly the time light needs to cross a human hair. Conventional methods hit a wall. Most light-steering technology excites electrons in a material, and their relaxation limits speeds to nanoseconds or picoseconds. "Steering light with light is very challenging because light typically interacts very weakly with matter," said Harry Atwater, whose Caltech lab built the device.
Engineers building faster communications networks, computing systems and sensors gain a way to redirect light. It works far faster than current methods allow.
Source: Steering Light in a Flash: New Chip Redirects Light Beams in Less Than a Trillionth of a Second (caltech.edu).
Written by the HappyGood desk from the primary source linked above and checked against it. Every story links its source. Corrections: [email protected].
More from the archive
- Assam teenager wins gold at National Karate Championship days after floods September 19, 2026
- EverDye develops pigments that could cut fabric dyeing energy tenfold September 19, 2026
- Teeth from Thomas the T. rex reveal a human-like body temperature September 19, 2026
- Jim Al-Khalili to take on time in the 2026 Christmas Lectures September 19, 2026
- Kenyan mango grower turns to integrated pest management after moth infestation September 18, 2026