Laser-Based Weather Control

The far-fetched concept of weather control just might be in our scientific forecast. Researchers are making progress in using ultrashort laser pulses to create lightning and cue cloud formation, with potential applications in agriculture, public safety and beyond.

The Road to Multi-Dimensional Bit-by-Bit Optical Data Storage

Recent advances in optical data storage have led to the development of a five-dimensional device that could hold up to 2,000 times more data than a conventional DVD.

Holography and the Laser

The invention of the hologram actually predates that of the laser, but they both came of age during the technological boom of the 1960s. Holography has not matched the growth of some laser applications, but if you look in your pocket or purse, you will find it is alive and well.

The Optical Illusions of Cosmetics

Using optically complex pigments and particles that scatter light, today’s cosmetic scientists and designers have engineered sophisticated new products that enhance people’s features rather than cover up their skin.

Rayleigh Was Right: Electromagnetic Fields and Corrugated Interfaces

Lord Rayleigh theorized that the electromagnetic field in a periodically corrugated interface is composed of waves outgoing from the interface. A careful numerical analysis suggests that this hypothesis is true well beyond the commonly stated limit.

Launching a Column—and a Career

Whether you’re writing a Ph.D. thesis, managing a magazine, or embarking on a new career, getting started is always the hardest part. We’re pleased to introduce this new column to serve as a resource to our readers who are in the process of making a career transition.

Lasers in Crete: OSA Fellow Visits IESL-FORTH

OSA Fellow Barry Masters describes his trip to the beautiful island of Crete, where he met with colleagues from the Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser at the Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas.

Evaluating System Performance: Between a “ROC” and a Hard Place

How can engineers use a receiver operating characteristics curve to assess the functioning of a complex sensor system?

Superwicking Silicon

A laser surface treatment dramatically changes the wetting qualities of silicon, with potential applications in microfluidic lab-on-a-chip technologies and electronic cooling.

Presidents of the Early 1940s

Meet two 20th century OSA leaders—one who helped lay the foundation for the study of light visibility and another who developed the tungsten filament lamp.

Lasers’ Reach Far Exceeds Initial Grasp

Initially called the “solution in search of a problem,” the laser has become the perfect demonstration of the long-term value of government-funded research.

Pushing the Frontiers of Solar Tech

A new center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (U.S.A.) is dedicated to developing solar technologies that push the envelope in efficiency.

Did You Know?

Researchers recently reported a photovoltaic concentrator design comprised of a Fresnel lens and a refractive secondary element.

Book Reviews

Letters

2011 Election Preview

OSA Today

President’s Message

In Memory

Remembering OSA Fellows Sang Soo Lee, Alfred J. Thelen, Michael S. Feld and Boris P. Stoicheff