Generating and Detecting Deepfakes: A 21st-Century Arms Race

As AI tools get better at creating realistic images and videos, scientists are racing to develop countermeasures to spot the fakes.

by Patricia Daukantas

Finding the Right Ph.D. Advisor

You already know the science, but there’s also an art to selecting a Ph.D. supervisor who is the best fit for you.

by Nathaniel Kinsey, Christian Haffner, Kartik Srinivasan, Amit Agrawal and Justus Ndukaife

Preserving Optics Heritage at the University of Franche-Comté

An effort to safeguard the legacy of optics includes a museum of historical instruments, some dating to 1845.

by John M. Dudley, Luc Froehly, Jerome Salvi, Pierre Verschueren and Maxime Jacquot

Newsroom

Research and Industry News

Resonant time crystals hit the spot / Illuminating black holes / How to recycle the tiniest lasers / Infrared spectroscopy on-chip / Laser light casts a shadow / Diffractive robots set the pace in microscale optics / Industry news

Infographic

100 Years of Quantum

A look at key milestones in the development of quantum mechanics as UNESCO kicks off the International Year of Quantum Science & Technology.

Career Focus

Adventures in Technical Marketing

A background in optical engineering can lead to many and varied paths, including in advertising, sales and outreach.

Light Touch

Lippmann's Unfading Photographs

A technique leverages interference to create vibrant, stable color pictures—but never hit the mainstream.

President's Message

A Quantum Celebration

It’s important that we make a concerted effort to communicate the impact of quantum science and technology to a variety of audiences.

Looking Back

30, 20 and 10 Years Ago in OPN

Lightwave communications; astronomical origins; augmented reality. 

Optica in Focus

News from the Society

Industry meeting: lidar / Industry tutorial: deformable mirrors / ANZCOP 2024 / Technical group leaders / Spotlight on British and Irish optics / Suzuki wins Tyndall Award / Career accelerator in Europe / Student presentation prizes / Thank you, editors and meeting hosts

After Image

Spectral Flame

A CD has the effect of a diffraction grating on candlelight, separating its constituent colors.