iyl2015

This week we conclude our series of ‘beautiful experiments with light’ featured in our poll and finally reach the new millennium in which lasers continue to enable powerful and diverse experiments.  Read more

In last week’s post you heard about beautiful experiments with light featured in our poll from the turn of the century. This week, we will talk about the time until the 1950s. And, while so many turning points in politics and history fall into that period, advances in optics and photonics were a bit betwixt and between. Scientists were modernizing their methods and instruments but still didn’t have modern-day tools like the laser, which in the 1960s would completely transform light-related research.  Read more

For this week’s set of experiments in our poll we will stick to the 19th century. Our first entry is from 1839, when Alexandre Edmond Becquerel invented the photovoltaic cell at the tender age of 19. While playing around in his father’s lab, Becquerel created an electrolytic cell from silver chloride in acid. After connecting it to platinum electrodes, he found that exposing it to light generated an electrical current. Currently, photovoltaics is one of the most active themes in materials research, as it may be key in our challenge to produce enough clean energy for the world for generations ahead.  Read more

We are basking in light. In our daily lives we encounter a multitude of light-based technologies from basic lighting, optical fibre communication, television and computer screens, to diagnostic techniques in healthcare. Sunlight energy harvesting will almost certainly be essential to match the world’s growing energy needs. The International Year of Light 2015, which is celebrating these achievements, and more, is now in full swing.  Read more