Scientists Captured Light in a Trap 2,000 Times Thinner Than a Human Hair
By David Nield
Published on April 17, 2026.
Scientists from the University of Warsaw in Poland have successfully captured light in a lattice of specially engineered atoms that is just 42 nanometers thick, around 2,000x thinner than a human hair or an even thinner sliver of a standard sheet of paper. The feat, led by a team led by the University's atomic 'printing' method, was a significant advance in the study of infrared light, which has longer wavelengths than visible light. The material used for the grating was made from layered atoms of molybdenum and selenium, creating a unique structure that maximizes its refractive index. The researchers are hopeful about developing flat, ultracompact devices for lasing, wavefront control, and higher-order topological states of the light.
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Scientists Captured Light in a Trap 2,000 Times Thinner Than a Human Hair
Scientists in Poland have successfully trapped infrared light in a 2,000-tonne grating, potentially revolutionizing light-based electronics and improving optical computing capabilities.