Today's Tech News: Notable or Not?

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1121828 "1st single-device sensor covering UV through IR (previously excluded IR)... instead of forcing light-absorbing material twisty, used high-performance quantum dots as light absorbers, introducing twist into chiral molecules' bonded to zinc oxide layer only electrons with specific spin can pass through.... when light hits sensor, resulting electric current changes based on whether light is spinning left/ right... doubles information sent per photon/ near impossible interception... quantum key distribution, medical imaging"

https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2026/03/New-negative-light-technology-hides-data-transfers-in-plain-sight "blends mid- IR LED signals into natural thermal background radiation hiding them, instead of usual making signals brighter than background... thermoradiative diode quickly switches between slightly brighter/ darker than surrounding making seem as background noise... 100 kB/s data transfer rates, but commercial products reaching: Mbps by improving emitter, Gb/s or 100s Gb/s by utilizing highly conductive materials like graphene... high-security applications in defense and finance"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1115976 "instead of filtering static image, treat single infrared frame as part of temperature sequence during thermal equilibrium... 3-step non-linear spatio-temporal transformation creates/ analyzes filters simulating IR image sequences at different temperature intervals finding spatio-temporal correlations... Zero-Reference Deep Curve Estimation model constructs high-order, pixel-level curve to map out and predict the final enhanced image... firefighting masks"

https://phys.org/news/2026-02-crystal-emitting-red-uv-green.html "precisely controlling molecular arrangement/ rigid crystal packing π-conjugated organic compound featuring 1,2,5-thiadiazole-substituted pyrazine unit... red fluorescence/ green 2nd harmonic generation operate independently without interference... organic crystals lightweight, chemically tunable, flexible, easier to process... future: advanced optical sensors, medical imaging systems, and next-generation photonic devices that can sense invisible wavelengths using simpler, more adaptable materials" Related: Scientists at NYU have developed a method to control crystal formation using light https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260301190404.htm

https://www.aau.dk/new-technology-can-store-green-energy-for-months-n151116 "when electricity is needed, the stored heat is converted back into electricity using thermophotovoltaic cells. These specialized devices convert IR emitted by the heat source into electricity... nanostructured emitter can withstand extreme temperatures, up to 1400 °C, and has shown stable operation for over six months, making it suitable for long-term energy storage... reduces energy storage costs by up to 80% compared to traditional batteries and can also be used to recover waste heat in industrial processes"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1097545 "chirped-period crystal accepts IR from many directions/ converts to visible, upconversion detection suppresses noise enabling low light conditions... 0.20 mm pinhole radius produces sharp details in image targets: 11 to 19 cm away, across all distances at 3.07 μm mid-IR confirming large depth range, up to 35 cm away demonstrating large depth of field, µm-level axial precision... relatively complex/ bulky laser setup should, with further research, become far more compact/ easier to deploy"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1096433 "rare-earth metal ions, photoactive lanthanide-doped upconverting nanoparticles' core, exhibit complex energy levels structure allowing interaction with wide range of wavelengths... excitation with 2 near-IR beams upconverts emission intensity several-fold/ changes to visible... enables visualizing IR beyond standard detectors' sensitivity... IR detection/ its conversion to visible, enhanced microscopy resolution, optical computing" Related: Stanford Medicine researchers create simple method for viewing microscopic fibers https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1104804

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1085969 "metalens mass produced using lithium niobate: silicon master mold, solution containing lithium niobate crystal precursors stamped while still liquid (similar to Gutenberg's printing press), heated to 600°C, it takes on the precise crystalline structure that enables photon manipulation. More cost-effective and faster to fabricate than any previous lithium niobate devices. Suitable for mass production as molds can be reused many times... metalens apps:  cheap night vision, solar cells, holographic authentication, industry" Related: Mo4+ and Ag+ co-sensitized double perovskites enable ultra-broadband NIR emission https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1116124 Scientists developed room-temperature, zero-power infrared sensor for next-generation night vision https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1121525

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1084046 "wearer can perceive multiple IR wavelengths, enhanced when eyes closed... flickering IR could be used to transmit information in security, rescue, encryption, anti-counterfeiting... nanoparticles combined into standard soft contact lenses absorb IR/ convert to visible... differentiation between different IR spectra by color-coding different IR wavelengths enables more perception details within fIR spectrum, also helping color blind people to some extent... embedding in glasses instead of contact lenses improves resolution"

https://techxplore.com/news/2025-04-invisible-eindhoven-super-fast-wireless.html "fastest wireless data transmission ever demonstrated over this long a distance in an urban setting... using advanced interference-free optical antennas from Aircision... free-space optical communication... technique commonly used in fiber optics combines multiple wavelengths in single transmission... IR highly focused, enabling almost unlimited number of communication links existing side-by-side without interference in all weather conditions... 5G/6G antennas backhauling existing network where fiber impractical/ too costly"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1078779 "generative algorithms/ Python scripts craft intricate starch-based foods... graphene heaters cook food that retains intended shape/ quality... AI enables use by even computer novices... reduced contamination risks... tailors nutrition for specific needs (medical, restaurants)... merges technology/ culinary creativity... cross-disciplinary: user-centric design, mechanical engineering, food science, chemistry, AI... future: refine by examining the preservation of heat-sensitive vitamins and optimizing starch digestibility" Related: New technologies help wood-burning stoves burn more efficiently, produce less smoke https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1086529

https://www.empa.ch/web/s604/eq84-ir-detectors "avoids very high temperature, lots of energy. bulk,.. colloidal quantum dots in solution spin coating/ printing... also records IR phase/ interference... smart textiles for firefighters/ patient monitoring/ fashion, motion detectors, chemical analyzers, satellites... silicon-based lidars with measured 905 nm IR would be harmful at high power, so only emit weak light, which limits system's range, and those for longer, safer wavelengths too expensive, but faster quantum dot detectors could provide safe/ cost-effective lidar" Related: A new technology with UPV hallmark improves the accuracy of radars and LiDAR systems, key technologies for autonomous transport and environmental monitoring https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1067521

https://techxplore.com/news/2024-08-optical-microchips-applications-communications.html "cheap, chip-scale IR source... quantum mechanics' bound-state in the continuum, leveraging specific wave patterns/ resonances within structured material creating optical chips generating coherent, single-wavelength light sources akin to lasers, heated on hot plate... generating 10 to 12μm mid-IR useful for molecular detection/ analysis... coherent single-wavelength essential, as light sources emitting too many wavelengths complicate signal interpretation... cell phones, microscopy, sensing, wireless communication"

https://phys.org/news/2024-08-repurposing-pencil-optical-material-plasma.html "various structural colors/ invisible characters only seen using IR camera... thin-layer interference between clay and graphite, the components of pencil lead... irradiating pencil lead with plasma, an electrically charged gaseous state, for extended periods of time resulted in optics causing interference in near/ mid-IR due to larger thickness of clay layer exposed by plasma etching... eco-friendly, cheaper: sensing, OLED displays, telecommunications, cancer treatment, new/ sustainable printing technologies"

https://phys.org/news/2024-06-highlights-potential-photo-driven-fin.html "cost-effective, silicon/ IR hybrid photodetectors... expands spectral response range... broadband photoresponse, improve sensitivity... leverages lead(II) sulfide-silicon heterojunction depleting channel, suppressing dark current. and photovoltage generated at interface modulates channel boosting room temperature IR photoresponse within visible light to IR with fast response speed (150 μs)... fabrication compatible with silicon-based CMOS technologies... night vision, remote sensing, health monitoring"

https://phys.org/news/2024-06-nanomagnets-infrared-lasers.html "IR irradiated molecules vibrate due to energy supply, also generating magnetic fields... highly symmetric metal phthalocyanines generate nm magnetic fields when circularly polarized IR pulsed on their charged atomic nuclei, exciting 2 molecular vibrations at same time at right angles to each other... high-precision optical switches controlling magnetic field strength, direction... future: compute interactions between deposited phthalocyanines, support material, IR... circuits in quantum computers" Related:  New strategy unlocks magnetic switching with hydrogen bonding at molecular level https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/browse/all/5?view=summaries&date=10/18/2024

https://phys.org/news/2024-06-infrared.html "thin-film oxide membranes maintain IR frequency, but compress to 10% of its wavelength (far better than the 97% for bulk crystal), allowing greater resolution... used pulsed laser deposition growing 100-nm thick crystalline membrane of strontium titanate (transition metal perovskite) in vacuum... on silicon oxide surface of silicon substrate, phonon polaritons confine IR... photonics, sensors, thermal management (chips shedding heat converting into IR)... easily integrated with a wide variety of substrates"

https://phys.org/news/2024-01-ways-extreme-infrared.html "manipulate ultrafast spin waves using single light pulses... orthoferrite antiferromagnets' spins align in opposite directions and much faster than with ferromagnets enhancing high-speed information processing... using THz light to excite 2 different spin waves creates new hybrid spin wave at higher frequency, enabling magnonics and nonlinear control of energy flow, where unlike with spintronics, information carried in collective spin waves involving many electron spins simultaneously"

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-high-quality-crystals-resonate-strongly-infrared.html "flame vapor deposition synthesized MoO3 nanoribbons with high spatial and spectral resolution, detecting resonance modes beyond 10th order... smooth, parallel edges function as reflecting surfaces... fast, inexpensive, scalable, and doesn't require extra treatments that can damage and contaminate the crystals... controlled sizes and shapes of synthesized samples by varying temperature, molybdenum concentration, and time... molecular level infrared sensing, imaging, and signaling"