Wire · technology
World-first photonic time crystal opens a new era of light control
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Fusion42 · 2 August 2026 · Fusion42 review
Researchers created the first all-optical photonic time crystal, a metamaterial that dynamically alters its optical properties on picosecond timescales, enabling rapid control of light in the terahertz range. This breakthrough could drive advances in ultrafast optical computers, telecommunications, and new terahertz lasers.
This Wire brief sits within Fusion42's coverage of Photonics & Optics.
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You can now build devices that control light faster than ever by altering optical properties over time, not just in space. This opens pathways to next-gen optical computing and telecom hardware that run at terahertz speeds.
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1 source · 2 Aug 2026
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