Enhancing solar cells with heat
Thermophotovoltaic system converts high heat to narrow spectrum tailored to solar cell profile
Faculty highlight: Evelyn Wang
Device Research Laboratory scientists aim to control changes in phase of gases and liquids to reduce power consumption in heating and cooling systems.
Persuading light to mix it up with matter
MIT team documents a never-before-seen coupling of photons with electrons on the surface of an exotic crystal.
Graphene could yield cheaper optical chips
Researchers show that graphene — atom-thick sheets of carbon — could be used in photodetectors, devices that translate optical signals to electrical.
A new way to trap light
MIT researchers discover a new phenomenon that could lead to new types of lasers and sensors.
Ferroelectric-graphene-based system could lead to improved information processing
New system uses two-dimensional structures to guide plasmonic waves at ultrashort wavelength, offering a new platform for memory and computer chips.
Patterning defect-free nanocrystal films with nanometer resolution
New process developed at MIT could enable better LED displays, solar cells and biosensors — and foster basic physics research.
Riding herd on photons
A new ‘metamaterial’ prevents electromagnetic waves from reflecting backward, pointing the way toward computer chips that move data with light.
Researchers explain how dye-based nanotubes can help harvest light’s energy
Tiny cylinders help reveal how natural-light-harvesting antennae collect light with exceptional efficiency.
Gradečak wins Nano Letters young investigator award
Materials science and engineering professor studies nanophotonics and electronics.
Fiber laser points to woven 3-D displays
A fiber that can emit light along its length in any direction may herald flexible 3-D displays and medical tools that activate therapeutic compounds with bursts of light.
Microchips’ optical future
To keep energy consumption under control, future chips may need to move data using light instead of electricity — and the technical expertise to build them may reside in the United States.
Turning heat into power
A new kind of high-temperature photonic crystal could someday power everything from smartphones to spacecraft.
Electronics takes on a new spin
Researchers at MIT find a way to observe and control the way electrons spin on the surface of exotic new materials.
Important step toward computing with light
Research at MIT produces long-sought component to allow complete optical circuits on silicon chips.