September 7, 2012

Needle beam could eliminate signal loss in on-chip optics




Harvard researchers create a light wave that propagates without spreading

An international, Harvard-led team of researchers have demonstrated a new type of light beam that propagates without spreading outwards, remaining very narrow and controlled along an unprecedented distance. This "needle beam," as the team calls it, could greatly reduce signal loss for on-chip optical systems and may eventually assist the development of a more powerful class of microprocessors.