Photonics — the science of guiding and manipulating light — enables applications ranging from telecommunications to medical imaging. In this research thrust engineers are developing new photonic devices such as optical diodes or optical isolators, which allow light to pass through only in one direction, and systems for coupling light signals into and out of photonic chips. Another example is a miniaturized spectrometer that makes it possible to analyze the chemical composition of individual molecules with something small and rugged, to replace devices that are large, delicate, and expensive.
