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Aug 1, 2023

Photonic chip transforms single beam of light into multiple beams, each with a panoply of different properties

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, computing, quantum physics

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have devised a photonic circuit on a chip that transforms a single incoming beam of laser light into a panoply of new beams, each with a host of different optical properties.

The newly generated beams—which retain the frequency of the original beam—simultaneously exit the circuit at different locations along the . That allows scientists and engineers to select the specific characteristics of one or more beams needed for a particular application.

Precision shaping and controlling beams of visible light are critical for diagnosing and studying human diseases, trapping atoms that form the basis of the world’s most , quantum computing, and many other quantum-based technologies.

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