Technology

Princeton researchers have uncovered new rules governing how objects absorb and emit light, fine-tuning scientists' control over light and boosting research into next-generation solar and optical devices.

The discovery solves a longstanding problem of scale, where light's behavior when interacting with tiny objects violates well-established physical constraints observed at larger scales.

There is more to foam than meets the eye. Literally. A study by Princeton scientists has shown that a type of foam long studied by researchers is able to block particular wavelengths of light, a coveted property for next-generation information technology that uses light instead of electricity.

Princeton University has announced the creation of the Princeton Quantum Initiative to foster research and training across the spectrum from fundamental quantum science to its application in areas such as computing, sensing and communications.

The new initiative builds on Princeton's world-renowned expertise in quantum science, the area of physics that describes behaviors at the scale of atoms and electrons. Quantum technologies have the potential to revolutionize areas ranging from secure data transmission to biomedical research, to the discovery of new materials.

Low-temperature plasma, a rapidly expanding source of innovation in fields ranging from electronics to health care to space exploration, is a highly complex state of matter. So complex that the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) has teamed with Princeton University to become home to a collaborative facility open to researchers from across the country to advance the understanding and control of this dynamic physical state.