Breaking the diffraction barrier in the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum is of fundamental importance. Far-field subwavelength focusing of light could, for instance, drastically broaden the possibilities available in nanolithography, light-matter interactions and sensing at the nanoscale. Similarly, imaging with a nanometric resolution could result in incredible breakthroughs in sof...

We report a measurement of lunar spectral irradiance with an uncertainty below 1 % from 420 nm to 1000 nm. This measurement uncertainty meets the stability requirement for many climate data records derived from satellite images, including those for vegetation, aerosols, and snow and ice albedo. It therefore opens the possibility of using the Moon as a calibration standard to bridge gaps in sate...

We report that two-dimensional (2D) sub-diffraction-limited images can be theoretically reconstructed by a new metamaterial far-field superlens. The metamaterial far-field superlens, composed of a metal-dielectric multilayer and a one-dimensional (1D) subwavelength grating, can work over a broad range of visible wavelengths intrinsically. The imaging principle and the reconstruction process are...

It is well established that ultraviolet sensitivity plays an important role in the visually guided behaviour of birds. From a foraging perspective, evidence now exists that ultraviolet wavelengths are used by birds when foraging for insects, berries, seeds and mammals. Here, we present the results of two laboratory experiments that test the effect of removing (i) ultraviolet wavelengths and (ii...

Materials with large chiral optical activity at visible wavelengths are of great interest in photonics, particularly as a route to chiral optical metamaterials. Here, we demonstrate the plasmonic enhancement of the chiral optical activity of chiral poly(fluorene-alt-benzothiadiazole) (PFBT) doped with gold nanoparticles. The supramolecular helical organization of polymeric chains with simultane...

Progress in astronomy is dependent on the development of new instrumentation that can provide data which are better in some way than the data which were available before. One improvement that has consistently led to astronomical discoveries is that of seeing finer detail in objects. In astronomy, the majority of the objects under study cannot easily be brought closer for inspection, so the typi...

High-quality woodpile structures with photonic band gaps in the visible wavelength range were fabricated using a single prism holographic lithography technique. Woodpile structures were prepared to have a rod diameter of 160 nm, a lateral periodicity of 240 nm, and an axial periodicity of 300 nm, which is the smallest feature size for three-dimensional nanopatterned structures. A multicolor pat...

The refractive indices of E7 liquid-crystal mixture were measured at six visible and two infrared sl=1.55 and 10.6 mmd wavelengths at different temperatures, using Abbe and wedged cell refractometer methods, respectively. The experimental data of the visible wavelengths fit the extended Cauchy equations well. Using the extended Cauchy equations, we can extrapolate the refractive indices of E7 t...

In modeling color vision, certain visible wavelengths have special significance. A growing body of scientific work shows that the wavelengths around 450nm, 540nm and 605nm, the so called prime-color (PC) wavelengths, are fundamental to color vision. Perhaps unsurprisingly, these same wavelengths are often discussed in the color imaging literature. Monitors that can display a large gamut of colo...