Polish and French scientists create optical tornadoes using liquid crystals
Technology
Scientists have just made "optical tornadoes," swirling beams of light, using liquid crystals, opening up new ways to send information in the future.
Instead of relying on complicated tech, the joint team from the University of Warsaw, the Military University of Technology, and Institut Pascal CNRS at Universite Clermont Auvergne used self-organizing materials to twist light into stable, energy-efficient patterns.
Liquid crystals could simplify photonic devices
These optical tornadoes could make building next-generation photonic devices much simpler.
By using liquid crystals to control and trap light, researchers are paving the way for easier-to-build and more scalable quantum communication systems — no fancy nanostructures needed.