ICYMI: Laser-powered spacecraft, upgraded Atlas bot and more

Today on In Case You Missed It: A professor from California is working on a plan to use photonic propulsion to get a spacecraft to Mars within 72 hours. It would use get the craft off of earth with the power generated by photons leaving a laser.

Samsung ISOCELL smartphone camera sensors promise better colors in low-light

Samsung introduces its new ISOCELL smartphone imaging sensor, will hit production in Q4 2013

Samsung's offering up spoilers at what we can expect from future Galaxy smartphones -- already. They will likely feature ISOCELL, the company's new CMOS imaging sensor. It adds "advanced pixel technology" that polices the absorption of electrons for improved color fidelity, even when lighting isn't ideal. The new sensor will head to new "premium" smartphones and tablets, with mass production scheduled to start in Q4 2013. Samsung's ISOCELL tech improves on current BSI (back-side illuminated) sensors by adding a "physical barrier between neighboring pixel". The science behind it means that more photons can be collected and that's what will improve image quality. This between-pixel crosstalk is apparently reduced by 30 percent, and increases the dynamic range of photos by up to 30 percent -- as you'll note from the washed-out petal tips in the sample above.

Samsung explains that "market pressure" has meant it had to increase camera resolution and image quality, without increasing the size of the camera unit. This meant that pixels had to shrink, "while improving their performance at the same time". Interestingly, this sensor is specifically for 8-megapixel units, which could mean a drop down from the 13-megapixel camera seen in the Galaxy S 4. A full camera unit housing ISOCELL would also take up less space inside devices compared to previous imaging sensors, with a reduced height that sounds like it could be ideal for the company's future high-powered, even thinner smartphones.

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Source: Samsung Tomorrow

Physicists steer light on superconducting chips, forge our quantum computing future

DNP Physicists manipulate light on superconducting chips, forge path to quantum computing future

We're still years away from quantum computing becoming an everyday reality, but the physics geniuses over at the University of California Santa Barbara have made a discovery that might speed that process along. A team under professor John Martinis' tutelage has developed a way to manipulate light on a superconducting chip at the quantum level, allowing the group to control the wave forms of released photons with a switch and a resonator. That might not seem like much, but it's ultimately a launching pad for much more. With photons now bowing to researchers' whims, the next step is to see if the particles can securely transfer data over long distances, such as between Earth and orbiting satellites, or just from one end of the world to another. It's a lofty goal to be sure, but nobody said the revolution would be over in a day.

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Via: Phys.org

Source: Physical Review Letters

Scientists demonstrate unjammable radar based on quantum imaging

Scientists demonstrate unjammable radar using quantum imaging

Unfortunately for those in the enemy tracking game, sophisticated aircraft-equipped anti-detection systems can outfox radar by intercepting the signal and sending back a false image, as shown above. However, researchers from the University of Rochester have figured out a technique to defeat such a jamming system that harnesses the quantum properties of light. By polarizing photons before sending them toward objects to be scanned, any attempt at modifying the returning photons caused quantum interference that was easy to detect, in the form of the very high polarization errors shown in the second false image. According to the team, such a a system could "easily be realized and integrated into modern optical ranging and imaging systems," with a little work, making it infinitely more difficult to defeat radar systems. Check the source for more "light" reading, provided that quantum mechanics doesn't break your brain.

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Via: MIT Technology Review

Source: Arxiv (PDF)