News Releases

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  Medical 'Lightsabers': Laser Scalpels Get Ultrafast, Ultra-Accurate, and Ultra-Compact Makeover

  23 April 2012
  Whether surgeons slice with a traditional scalpel or cut away with a surgical laser, most medical operations end up removing some healthy tissue, along with the bad. This means that for delicate areas like the brain, throat, and digestive tract, physicians and patients have to balance the benefits of treatment against possible collateral damage.
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  Theodore Maiman Student Paper Competition Semi-Finalists Announced

  19 April 2012
  The OSA Foundation (OSAF), HRL Laboratories LLC, the IEEE Photonics Society and the APS Division of Laser Science are pleased to announce the semi-finalists for the annual Theodore Maiman Student Paper Competition. The winners will be announced at the 2012 Conference on Lasers and Electro Optics (CLEO: 2012), taking place in San Jose May 6-11.
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  The Solar Cell that Also Shines: Luminescent 'LED-type' Design Breaks Efficiency Record, Illuminates 50-Year Mystery

  19 April 2012
  To produce the maximum amount of energy, solar cells are designed to absorb as much light from the Sun as possible. Now researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, have suggested – and demonstrated – a counterintuitive concept: solar cells should be designed to be more like LEDs, able to emit light as well as absorb it.
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  Detecting Malaria Early to Save Lives: New optical technique promises rapid and accurate diagnosis

  18 April 2012
  Correctly and quickly diagnosing malaria is essential for effective and life-saving treatment. But rapid detection, particularly in remote areas, is not always possible because current methods are time-consuming and require precise instrumentation and highly skilled microscopic analysis. Now, a promising new optical imaging system, described in a paper published today in the Optical Society’s (OSA) open-access journal Biomedical Optics Express, may make the diagnosis of this deadly disease much easier, faster, and more accurate.
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  New OSA Award Named in Honor of Michael S. Feld

  10 April 2012
  The Optical Society (OSA) and the OSA Foundation (OSAF) are pleased to announce the establishment of the Michael S. Feld Biophotonics Award, honoring Professor Feld’s fundamental contributions in the field of laser science and applied physics for solving biomedical problems. The OSA Foundation has begun fundraising efforts to permanently endow the award.
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  The Optical Society Announces 18 Awards for 2012

  02 April 2012
  The Optical Society (OSA) is pleased to name the 2012 recipients of its prestigious awards and medals. These award winners join an esteemed group of past recipients recognized for their unwavering commitment to the field of optics.
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  CLEO: 2012 - the Premier International Laser and Electro-Optics Event - to Take Place in San Jose Next Week

  02 April 2012
  CLEO: 2012, the Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics, is the premier international forum for scientific and technical optics—from fundamental laser science to photonic applications and products. CLEO: 2012 builds on the long-established CLEO/QELS conference and its world-renowned peer-reviewed program. CLEO: 2012 offers high-quality content in five core event elements featuring breakthrough research and applied innovations in ultrafast lasers, energy-efficient optics, quantum electronics, biophotonics and more.
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  Two European Commissioners Named OSA Advocates of Optics

  28 March 2012
  The Optical Society (OSA) today presented its 2012 Advocate of Optics recognition to European Commissioners Neelie Kroes of the Netherlands and Antonio Tajani of Italy. OSA CEO Elizabeth Rogan presented the honor to Kroes at the General Assembly meeting of Photonics 21 and to Tajani during a special presentation at European Commission headquarters. The pair was recognized for their efforts in making photonics part of the “Key Enabling Technologies” (KETs) in the European Union.
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  Researchers Discover a New Path for Light Through Metal: Novel Plasmonic Material May Merge Photonic and Electronic Technologies

  27 March 2012
  Helping bridge the gap between photonics and electronics, researchers from Purdue University have coaxed a thin film of titanium nitride into transporting plasmons, tiny electron excitations coupled to light that can direct and manipulate optical signals on the nanoscale. Titanium nitride’s addition to the short list of surface-plasmon-supporting materials, formerly comprised only of metals, could point the way to a new class of optoelectronic devices with unprecedented speed and efficiency.
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  Not Your Average Heat Shield: New 'Thermal' Approach to Invisibility Cloaking Hides Heat to Enhance Technology

  26 March 2012
  In a new approach to invisibility cloaking, a team of French researchers has proposed isolating or cloaking objects from sources of heat—essentially “thermal cloaking.” This method, which the researchers describe in the Optical Society’s (OSA) open-access journal Optics Express, taps into some of the same principles as optical cloaking and may lead to novel ways to control heat in electronics and, on an even larger scale, might someday prove useful for spacecraft and solar technologies.

OSA Members in the News