May 2017 Issue
Feature Articles
Breakthrough Starshot
Some researchers say that phased arrays of laser amplifiers could propel gram-sized spacecraft to the stars in 20 years. But are human technologies ready for the challenging journey?
by Patricia Daukantas
Subwavelength Photonics
At an OSA Incubator Meeting, scientists and engineers explored the opportunities and emerging applications enabled by controlling light at subwavelength scale.
by Pavel Cheben, Iñigo Molina Fernandez, David Smith, Weidong Zhou and Pierre Berini
LIBS Continues to Evolve
Now decades old, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy is still finding applications in novel areas, driven by technology, miniaturization and creative extension of the technique to new problems.
by C. David ChaffeeDepartments and Columns
Research and Industry News
Eagle-eyed microlenses; volumetric bubble displays; cockeyed squid; buttercup optics; imaging with fewer than 1,000 photons; the TRAPPIST-1 discoveries; medical acquisitions; U.S. solar market; toward broadband metalenses.
Local Designs, Global Market
Imec, a Belgian research institute, opens new design center for photonics and high-speed electronics in the state of Florida.
Q&A with 2017 CLEO Plenary Speakers
The Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO), which takes place 14 to 19 May in San Jose, California, USA, will once again unite the optics and photonics community in all things laser science and technology. In gearing up for this year’s conference, OPN spoke with three of this year’s plenary speakers, OSA Fellows Nergis Mavalvala, Ataç Imamoglu and Ursula Keller, to learn more about their talks.
Can Data Science Help Solve Societal Challenges?
OPN talks with Meredith Lee about the intersection of big data and society.
Observing the TRAPPIST-1 System
Next-gen telescopes are poised to explore whether an intriguing, newly discovered system could potentially harbor life.
