June 2006 Issue
Feature Articles
Bending Back Light: The Science of Negative Index Materials
After years of painstakingly developing and testing the necessary materials, scientists are now looking to translate negative refraction into positive applications such as sub-wavelength, high-resolution imaging across the electromagnetic spectrum.
by Costas M. SoukoulisSlow Light and Fast Data Links: Report from OFC 2006
This year’s Optical Fiber Communications/National Fiber Optic Engineers Conference (OFC/NFOEC) was a rich blend of technical content, ranging from cutting-edge concepts such as slow light to the development of low-cost components for fiber-to-the-home systems.
by Jeff HechtCoating Technologies for High-Damage-Threshold Optics
The telecom boom of the late 1990s helped drive a revolution in thin-film technology. As a result, new deposition techniques have been developed that can withstand environmental challenges such as humidity and thermal stress.
by Ove Lyngnes, Nick Traggis, Kathy Li Dessau and Chris MyattDepartments and Columns
Hiding Crown Jewels: Maintaining Trade Secrets
Your company has developed a new semiconductor layering technique that will make chemical vapor deposition seem like stone-age technology. How can you protect that valuable intellectual property?
ICO and Optica Acta
As early as 1948, optical physicists were looking at the Journal of the Optical Society of America (JOSA) as a model publication. Drawing on OSA’s experience, the International Commission for Optics hoped to start its own journal—which would do for European optics what JOSA had done in the United States.
Just-in-Time Teaching: Technology Transforming Learning
Just-in-Time Teaching is an undergraduate educational strategy that leverages the power and convenience of the Web to improve student learning, skill building and attitudes. Courses include a pre-class Internet component that is designed to complement classroom activities.
![An artist’s rendering of a pulse of circularly polarized light hitting a 2D semiconductor. [Illustration by S. Alvey / University of Michigan]](https://opnmedia.blob.core.windows.net/$web/opn/media/images/articles/2025/0125/departments/202501-cover-web.jpg?ext=.jpg)
