Photonics Focus vol. 5 issue 6

November/December 2024 | Vol. 5 | Issue 6

This issue of Photonics Focus examines the past, present, and future of the laser. One story explores a theoretically possible (but challenging to demonstrate) proposal to use lasers to propel spacecraft—very quickly—to Mars, or even into interstellar space. Another story describes ongoing research into unfathomably short attosecond laser pulses that are yielding new insights on electron behavior and control. Finally, a story on optical power transmission shows how electrical energy might be converted to light energy, and back again, to deliver power to remote locations without cumbersome cables.

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Lasers may propel spacecraft through the Solar System and beyond
Riding the beam to Mars and the stars: Laser space propulsion
Today’s best effort at generating tinier slices of time has yielded the attosecond light pulse, which is fast enough to view electron behavior or to gain a more precise measurement of the size of an atom
Attosecond science: Nobel-worthy nonlinear optics on steroids
Optical power transmission is the idea of converting electrical energy to optical energy, such as a laser or fiber-optic, and back again to electric, where it can be used by anything that needs to be plugged into a power supply
Optical power transmission lights up remote possibilities
About Photonics Focus

Launched in 2020, Photonics Focus® is the award-winning society magazine of SPIE. Articles showcase scientific discovery and innovative real-world applications of optics and photonics.

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