Optics – PossibleThreat Articles

This new camera sees the invisible in 3D without lenses

September 26, 2025 0 Comments Computers and Internet, encryption, Energy and Resources, Mobile Computing, Nanotechnology, Optics, Photography, Physics

Scientists have developed a lens-free mid-infrared camera using a modern twist on pinhole imaging. The system uses nonlinear crystals to convert infrared light into visible, allowing standard sensors to capture sharp, wide-range images without distortion. It can also create precise 3D reconstructions even in extremely low light. Though still experimental, the technology promises affordable, portable infrared imaging for safety, industrial, and environmental uses.

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Tiny new lenses, smaller than a hair, could transform phone and drone cameras

September 23, 2025 0 Comments Computer Programming, Computers and Internet, Engineering and Construction, Materials Science, Mobile Computing, Optics, Spintronics Research, Telecommunications

Scientists have developed a new multi-layered metalens design that could revolutionize portable optics in devices like phones, drones, and satellites. By stacking metamaterial layers instead of relying on a single one, the team overcame fundamental limits in focusing multiple wavelengths of light. Their algorithm-driven approach produced intricate nanostructures shaped like clovers, propellers, and squares, enabling improved performance, scalability, and polarization independence.

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Ordinary ice found to have shocking electrical powers

September 23, 2025 0 Comments Detectors, Engineering and Construction, Materials Science, Nature of Water, Optics, Physics, Quantum Physics, technology

Scientists have discovered that ordinary ice is a flexoelectric material, capable of generating electricity when bent or unevenly deformed. At very low temperatures, it can even become ferroelectric, developing reversible electric polarization. This could help explain lightning formation in storms and inspire new technologies that use ice as an active material.

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This stunning X-ray advance could help detect cancer earlier

September 23, 2025 0 Comments Breast Cancer, Detectors, Energy and Resources, Medical Devices, Medical Technology, Optics, Osteoporosis, Personalized Medicine

Sandia scientists developed a new type of X-ray that uses patterned multi-metal targets to create colorized, high-resolution images. The technology promises sharper scans, better material detection, and transformative applications in security, manufacturing, and medicine.

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Lasers just made atoms dance, unlocking the future of electronics

September 22, 2025 0 Comments Computer Modeling, Computer Science, Energy and Resources, Engineering and Construction, Mobile Computing, Nanotechnology, Optics, Spintronics Research

Scientists at Michigan State University have discovered how to use ultrafast lasers to wiggle atoms in exotic materials, temporarily altering their electronic behavior. By combining cutting-edge microscopes with quantum simulations, they created a nanoscale switch that could revolutionize smartphones, laptops, and even future quantum computers.

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Lasers just unlocked a hidden side of gold, copper, and aluminum

July 25, 2025 0 Comments Energy and Resources, Engineering and Construction, Nanotechnology, Nature of Water, Optics, Physics, Spintronics, Telecommunications

Scientists have cracked a century-old physics mystery by detecting magnetic signals in non-magnetic metals using only light and a revamped laser technique. Previously undetectable, these faint magnetic “whispers” are now measurable, revealing hidden patterns of electron behavior. The breakthrough could revolutionize how we explore magnetism in everyday materials—without bulky instruments or wires—and may open new doors for quantum computing, memory storage, and advanced electronics.

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Martian landslides not conclusive evidence of ice

October 24, 2019 0 Comments Civil Engineering, Mars, Moon, NASA, Nature of Water, Optics, Quantum Physics, Space Missions

Giant ridges on the surface of landslides on Mars could have formed without ice, challenging their use by some as unequivocal evidence of past ice on the red planet, finds a new study using state-of-the-art satellite data.

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Infrared detectors created for viper-like night vision

October 23, 2019 0 Comments Air Quality, Atmosphere, aviation, Detectors, Geochemistry, Optics, Physics, Pollution

Much like some snakes use infrared to 'see' at night, researchers are working to create similar viper vision to improve the sensitivity of night-vision cameras.

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Looking inside the body with indirect light

October 23, 2019 0 Comments Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Medical Devices, Medical Imaging, Medical Technology, Optics, Today's Healthcare, Vitamin D

Scientists report an imaging technique that gives finer details of blood vessels in live patients in real time than current diagnostic machines used in the clinic. The technique depends on capturing and analyzing non-epipolar light, which carries scattering information useful for detailing objects under the skin's surface.

News Science

Study warns of security gaps in smart light bulbs

October 23, 2019 0 Comments Chemistry, Computers and Internet, encryption, Hacking, Information Technology, Optics, Telecommunications, Textiles and Clothing

Smart bulbs are expected to be a popular purchase this holiday season. But could lighting your home open up your personal information to hackers? Now researchers have conducted a review of the security holes that exist in popular smart-light brands. According to the analysis, the next prime target could be that smart bulb that shoppers buy this coming holiday season.

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