Diffraction is a fundamental wave phenomenon. It manifests itself for light waves in almost all optical systems, limiting our ability to focus or collimate light beams. Due to diffraction, it is ...

The emergence of imaging schemes capable of overcoming Abbe's diffraction barrier is revolutionizing optical microscopy. In 1873, the German physicist Ernst Abbe realized that the resolution of ...

A material that is capable of the “reverse diffraction” of light and that is inspired by butterfly wings has been made by researchers in the US. The structure combines features of the butterfly’s ...

A pulse of light sets the tempo in the material. Atoms in a crystalline sheet just a few atoms thick begin to move—not randomly, but in a coordinated rhythm, twisting and untwisting in sync like ...