March 2022 Issue
Feature Articles
Optical Fiber: Through the Looking Glass
The UN International Year of Glass, celebrated throughout 2022, offers an opportunity to reflect on the enabling role of glass in fiber optics—and on their entangled futures.
by John Ballato
When Optical Tweezers Met Biology
Arthur Ashkin’s longtime fascination with light pressure sparked new insights into the mechanical forces that govern biological molecules and cells.
by Patricia Daukantas
Optics in Africa, Part 2: Realizing the Promise
OPN talked with a number of African researchers about the prospects for advancing optical and photonic science on a diverse and changing continent.
by Stewart WillsDepartments and Columns
Research and Industry News
Improving radiative cooling / DNA’s UV shield / Iridescent feathers / Lipid microlenses / Imaging cold atoms / Signify–Fluence deal / Apps for quantum computing / Sun-charged batteries / Imaging in low light
Decarbonizing Glass
The glass industry has one of the highest per-capita production volumes worldwide. Creating glass is also an energy-intensive process. Here we show some decarbonization options for a more sustainable future.
On the Threshold of Discovery
OPN talked with Optica Honorary Member and Nobel laureate John Mather about the Webb Space Telescope’s deployment—and what an extended mission timeline might enable.
Secrets of the Bat Signal
Investigating the real-life origin of, and physics behind, the celebrated beacon from the comic series Batman.
Envisioning Industry 4.0
Elise Neel of Verizon will speak at the upcoming OFC Conference on how 5G technology is empowering the “fourth industrial revolution.”
Of Photophones and Lasers
From smoke signals to semaphores, long-distance optical communication has intrigued humans for millennia. But the advent of the laser changed the game.
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Also in this Issue
The Information Flood and Scientific Development
Sometimes we need to take steps to rise above a flood of information.
30, 20, and 10 Years Ago in OPN
Lens design; processing light; photonic crystal fiber.
News from the Society
Photonics West / Endowed chair / Fellow stories / Member recognitions / Optics Continuum / Webinars / Thanks, editors and volunteers
Linn F. Mollenauer, 1937–2021
Remembering a scientist whose work on optical solitons transformed the fields of nonlinear optics, ultrashort pulse generation and optical communications.
Hollow-cathode lamp
The glow of a Th-Ar hollow-cathode lamp. Reflection of light can be seen at the glass walls of the confining cylinder. Image taken with a Canon EOS 450.
