Category Physics

Optical photons are ideal carriers of quantum information. But to work together in a quantum computer or network, they need to have the same color—or frequency—and bandwidth. Changing a photon’s frequency requires altering its energy, which is particularly challenging on integrated photonic chips.

Recently, researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) developed an integrated electro-optic modulator that can efficiently change the frequency and ‘bandwidth of single photons. The device could be used for more advanced quantum computing and quantum networks.

The research is published in Light: Science & Applications.

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New research yields a novel method to use ultrasound to enhance machine learning’s ability to accurately diagnose — or rule out — ovarian cancer.

Although ovarian cancer is the deadliest type of cancer for women, only about 20% of cases are found at an early stage, as there are no real screening tests for them and few symptoms to prompt them...

Cooling accounts for about 15 percent of global energy consumption. Conventional clear windows allow the sun to heat up interior spaces, which energy-guzzling air-conditioners must then cool down. But what if a window could help cool the room, use no energy and preserve the view?

Tengfei Luo, the Dorini Family Professor of Energy Studies at the University of Notre Dame, and postdoctoral associate Seongmin Kim have devised a transparent coating for windows that does just that.

The coating, or transparent radiative cooler (TRC), allows visible light to come in and keeps other heat-producing light out...

A multi-institution research team has developed an optical chip that can train machine learning hardware.

Machine learning applications skyrocketed to $165B annually, according to a recent report from McKinsey. But, before a machine can perform intelligence tasks such as recognizing the details of an image, it must be trained. Training of modern-day artificial intelligence (AI) systems like Tesla’s autopilot costs several million dollars in electric power consumption and requires supercomputer-like infrastructure. This surging AI “appetite” leaves an ever-widening gap between computer hardware and demand for AI...