Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a method and apparatus for precise, label-free measurements of reactions at a molecular or near atomic level using an oblique-incidence optical analysis technique.

FLASH (Fluctuating Lights of Actuatable Spectral Heft) is a novel multi-LED light device designed for species-specific behavioral control of insects as an eco-friendly alternative to chemical pesticides.

Brief description not available

Brief description not available

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a system and method for accurately extracting fetal photoplethysmography information from mixed maternal-fetal signals obtained non-invasively through the maternal abdomen.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a technology that enables rapid, reversible, and opposite-direction optical switching in the mid-infrared range using single crystalline halide perovskite materials activated by either light or heat.

An innovative non-invasive device that accurately determines the age of bruises for all skin types and tones, designed to assist in forensic investigations and medical diagnostics.

A bioinspired optical material system that enables vibrant, tunable, and durable color modulation across visible and infrared spectrums

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed an imaging scheme for two-photon microscopes enhancing speed and resolution in neuroscience research.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a nanoparticle system combining photothermal therapy and chemotherapy for enhanced cancer treatment.

A novel thermopile technology using holey silicon enables highly sensitive broadband thermal detection across the entire electromagnetic spectrum.

Something that is chiral cannot be superposed over its mirror image, no matter how it is shifted (ex. our hands). These two mirror images, called enantiomers, rotate plane-polarized light in opposite directions.Chiral nanostructures have unique materials properties that can be used in many applications. In pharmaceutical research and development, chiral analysis is critical, as one enantiomer may be more effective than the other. Researchers at UC Santa Cruz have developed new ways of performing enantiomeric analyses using the plasmonic circular dichroism absorption qualities of nanostructures. 

         Dust accumulation on solar panels, particularly in desert regions, can cause significant power losses without frequent water-based cleaning. With the global solar capacity rising, current cleaning methods yield high operational costs, consume billions of gallons of water annually, and pose sustainability and resource challenges.         To overcome these challenges, UC Berkeley researchers have developed a passive anti-soiling coating, which can effectively repel dust particles without energy or resources. The anti-soiling performance can be triggered by an onset temperature as low as 40 °C—common in most operating environments—and has been demonstrated to repel nearly all dust particles in preliminary studies. The approach is practical and highly promising for large-scale deployment.

Multimode optical fiber was first introduced in astrophotonics applications as “light pipes” to transport light from telescopes to instruments. The integration of multimode optical fiber helped to maximize light collection but offered little control over the propagation modes from the collected light, which affects the quality and speed of light transmission. Single-mode optical fiber used in interferometry proved invaluable for spatial filtering and wavefront correction, providing a stable, reliable, and flexible way to guide light in precision sensing and imaging. Photonic lanterns were conceived in the early 2000s to help bridge a gap between the light-gathering efficiency of multimode optical fiber and the precision of single-mode optical fiber. Photonic lantern devices have reasonably addressed the efficient conversion needs between multimode/ multi-modal and multiple single-mode light paths. However, challenges remain with respect to improving and scaling of photonic lantern devices, including coupling efficiency/losses, bandwidth limitations, and high-order mode (>20) capabilities.

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Brief description not available

An innovative technique for creating high-sensitivity Whispering Gallery Mode (WGM) sensors through advanced microbubble resonator fabrication.

A revolutionary optical technology designed to restore peripheral vision in patients with eye diseases through the integration of optical metasurfaces on eyewear.

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The challenge of efficiently injecting electrical current carriers into photonic crystal (PhC) optical devices while maintaining high optical confinement and index contrast is a significant hurdle in integrated photonics. Current electrical control schemes typically rely on high-index conductive semiconductor heterostructures, which compromise the device's optical properties, complicate fabrication, or are limited to small apertures. This invention, developed by UC Berkeley researchers, is an electrical injection platform for PhC apertures that directly injects carriers into individual unit-cells of the PhC while achieving maximum optical confinement by maintaining the highest possible refractive index contrast between the gain semiconductor and air.

      On-chip ultrafast light devices with a compact footprint and low cost would provide a practical platform for applications such as optical signal processing, molecular sensing, microwave generation and nonlinear optical processes. With the help of recent advances in nanofabrication techniques, the ability to reach low propagation loss on-chip has driven the development of high-quality (Q) factor microresonators. These microresonators allow for microcomb and pulse generation under intense continuous wave (CW) pumping. However, low nonlinear conversion efficiencies and high repetition rates, fixed by the resonator geometry, make achieving ultrashort pulses with high peak power remains an ongoing challenge.       To overcome these challenges, UC Berkeley researchers have demonstrated the integration of an electro-optic-comb system and dispersion-engineered nonlinear waveguides on a thin-film lithium niobate platform. The compact, on-chip device can achieve 35-fs pulse generation, corresponding to 6.7 cycles at 1550 nm, via higher-order soliton compression. The present invention facilitates development of ultrafast nano-optics and nano-electronics.

Glioblastoma is a malignant primary brain tumor that is highly invasive and infiltrative. Surgical resection and radiation therapy are not able to remove all tumor cells. Consequently, residual tumor is found in the majority of patients after surgery, causing early recurrence and decreased survival. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is routinely used in the diagnosis, treatment planning and monitoring of glioblastoma. The contrast-enhancing region identified with MRI is generally used to guide surgery and to provide a reference for radiotherapy planning. While edema and non-enhancing regions surrounding the tumor arepotential sites of tumor infiltration, usually they are not included in surgical resection as routine MRI cannot differentiate tumorous tissues in those regions. UC Berkeley researchers have developed a novel MRI technique that can identify, non-invasively and in-vivo, areas of altered iron metabolism associated with tumor activities in the edema tissue surrounding glioblastoma. The technique uniquely delineates a hyperintense area within the edema. The method can be used to guide surgery and radiotherapy and to monitor treatment response.

In PET imaging, patient motion, such as respiratory and cardiac motion, are a major source of blurring and motion artifacts. Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a technology designed to enhance PET imaging resolution without the need for external devices by effectively mitigating these artifacts

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      Microwave impedance microscopy (MIM) is an emerging scanning probe technique that enables non-contact, nanoscale measurement of local complex permittivity. By integrating an ultrasensitive, phase-resolved microwave sensor with a near-field probe, MIM has made significant contributions to diverse fundamental and applied fields. These include strongly correlated and topological materials, two-dimensional and biological systems, as well as semiconductor, acoustic, and MEMS devices. Concurrently, notable progress has been made in refining the MIM technique itself and broadening its capabilities. However, existing literature has focused exclusively on linear MIM based on homodyne architectures, where reflected or transmitted microwave is demodulated and detected at the incident frequency. As such, linear MIM lacks the ability to probe local electrical nonlinearity, which is widely present, for example, in dielectrics, semiconductors, and superconductors. Elucidating such nonlinearity with nanoscale spatial resolution would provide critical insights into semiconductor processing and diagnostics as well as fundamental phenomena like local symmetry breaking and phase separation.       To address this shortcoming, UC Berkeley researchers have introduced a novel methodology and apparatus for performing multi-harmonic MIM to locally probe electrical nonlinearities at the nanoscale. The technique achieves unprecedented spatial and spectral resolution in characterizing complex materials. It encompasses both hardware configurations enabling multi-harmonic data acquisition and the theoretical and calibration protocols to transform raw signals into accurate measures of intrinsic nonlinear permittivity and conductivity. The advance extends existing linear MIM into the nonlinear domain, providing a powerful, versatile, and minimally invasive tool for semiconductor diagnostics, materials research, and device development.