“Researchers at the University of California Berkley have developed a novel method to squeeze light into extremely small spaces, an important hurdle that optical computing faced. Previously researchers could get light to fit in relatively small spaces — even as small as 200 nm, about 400 times smaller than a human hair. This size helps to dictate the necessary size for the smallest fiber optic fibers, which for various reasons are about five times this width — or about 1 µm wide,” Jason Mick blogs for DailyTech.
“With the breakthrough, researchers were able to cut light down to fit into spaces a mere 10 nm, 20 times smaller than ever before. The space was a mere five times the width of a single piece of DNA, a size previously thought infeasible to shrink light to. Rupert Oulton, research associate in the group led by mechanical engineering Professor Xiang Zhang, stated of the discovery, ‘This technique could give us remarkable control over light and that would spell out amazing things for the future in terms of what we could do with that light,'” Mick reports.
“Mr. Oulton theorizes that the advance and further compression will yield key breakthroughs due to the properties of electricity and magnetism. In order to achieve an optical computer, you would need at least some electrical components. However the vastly different scales of electricity and light mean that they do not interact neatly or behave in similar ways. He believes by shrinking light to wavelengths similar to that of electrons in computer systems, a plethora of new uses will arise,” Mick reports.
“Mr. Oulton believes the research is a giant leap towards the greatest challenge of optical computing — achieving unity between light and electricity. He stated, ‘We are pulling optics down to the length scales of electrons. And that means we can potentially do some things we have never done before,'” Mick reports.
“The project was funded by the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Defense,” Mick reports.
More details in the full article here.
must be a slow news day at MDN!
unlocked in Europe,
“Unimaginative in Europe” is more like it.
Interesting list of financial backers…this stuff sure seems to interest those who kill for a living.
Interesting list of financial backers…this stuff sure seems to interest those who kill for a living.
@wow, you mean those who protect your freedom to be a loud-mouthed liberal?
You know, most technology advances are from military applications not the other way around. Large portion of government budgets go towards researching new technologies for weaponry that never make it onto the battlefield. These technologies are, however, quickly adapted into civilian uses.
Think of it: jet engines, cell phones, satellite communications, network communications, microwaves, trauma medical advances, super glue, and the list goes on and on and on and on…
Riddle: How many posts in an OPTICAL COMPUTING THREAD does it take to get MDN readers into a political poo-flinging frenzy?
A: 4
Uh, two…one over-zellous democrat and one fanatic democrat. They usually both bring their own poo to these types of events.
I guess we really haven’t evolved much beyond chimps, have we?
@ChrissyOne
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He! he! Not everyone gets an education that allows to be critical (starting with self critical), therefor, perhaps, some immediatly critisize critisism!
I’ve got my large scale optical fan ready for the poo flinging.
What will Obama say about Pelosi shutting down Congress to go on vacation? The media will never ask him that question, now will they?
Riddle: How many posts in an OPTICAL COMPUTING THREAD does it take to get MDN readers into a political frenzy?
you guys aren’t dumb, I’m with METRYQ – me try Q what’s the Q ?
@ ChrissyOne,
From the sublime to the ridiculous in four easy steps.
Do I hear three?
Just one stupid comment and already we get the democrat/liberal crap (or as C1 puts it…POO) being flung.
Thanks God that the military funds research. That way we can put indestructible plastic sheets on out iphones and ipod touches (I do anyway) in addition to keeping our soldiers a little safer..kevlar etc…
What is so wrong with your lives that you make these insulting political remarks at the slightest tip of a hat.
@METRYQ…ever think even for one second that there may be a few conservatives who may not be supporting the current military strategies off the US?
@Buster
As i wrote before, some do not support criticisms. Of course, that requires a little intelligence, it is true…
@Metryq “@wow, you mean those who protect your freedom to be a loud-mouthed liberal?”
Yeah! isn’t it great.
I bet you wish the Germans had won the war now. They hate liberals just like you. Come to think of it Republicans, the Taliban and Al-Qaeda – they don’t like liberals either. Hmmm?
I bet you wish the Germans had won the war now. They hate liberals just like you. Hmmm? the Germans that fought the Second World War do not love or hate METRYQ because they never knew him (her?).
God bless America!
“Previously researchers could get light to fit in relatively small spaces — even as small as 200 nm, about 400 times smaller than a human hair.”
Which kind of hair – vellus or terminal?
Ooops! Sorry.
I meant McCain or Obama.
“Which kind of hair – vellus or terminal?”
Terminal. Laden or unladen swallow?
@wow
The DoD has funded most technological innovations that you use today, for instance, the Internet, and those frequency bands that we use for wireless communications (900Mhz, 2.4Ghz, 5Ghz) were all standardized first by the DoD. They release them for public use when they move on to an even better thing.
More people die in car accidents every month than are killed by our military in a whole year, so all of those bad drivers out there must be worse than the military. How about try something new and attempt a logical, intelligent thought. On second thought, maybe Ron White said it best, “You can’t fix stupid.”
“Laden or unladen swallow?”
I… don’t… know…
I bet you drive a Prius.
Bwahaha…
There’s is a certain kind of driveling asininity that seems to be unique to the mind of the american right-wing.
8 years of Bush should’ve been enough for them to understand, but still…
My condolence to the american people living in their two-party-plutocracy… time for a regime change, isn’t it? Mind if we invade? A little “Shock and Awe”?
Oh, and optical thingy sounds interesting, can’t wait for the iPhone lux…
“Terminal. Laden or unladen swallow?”
Please, let’s not twist this around to oral sex. There are morally sensitive conservatives here.