The advance could improve energy efficiency of data centers and lighten the load for electronics-rich vehicles.

The design may enable miniature zoom lenses for drones, cellphones, or night-vision goggles.

New type of optical computing could solve highly complex problems that are out of reach for even the most powerful supercomputers.

The findings may help researchers design “spintronic” devices and novel magnetic materials.

The design, which uses entangled atoms, could help scientists detect dark matter and study gravity’s effect on time.

The advance could cut production costs and reduce the size of microelectronics for sensing and communication.

The results should help scientists study the viscosity in neutron stars, the plasma of the early universe, and other strongly interacting fluids.

Fiber optics built into a chip can deliver all the laser light needed to control ions for quantum computing and sensing.

An optical sensor that can detect individual molecules promises early detection of diseases and environmental contamination.