Can light turn sharp corners? Pierre Villeneuve and John Joannopoulos say yes. After nearly a decade of theoretical calculations, the two MIT physicists believe they-and collaborators at Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico-have made light efficiently navigate a 90-degree bend in an optical material called a photonic crystal. This path-breaking research could lay the groundwork for an entire new generation of telecommunications devices, as well as integrated optical circuits.

Generally, light doesn't like being tamed. Unlike electrons that can be easily routed (a fact that makes the world of electronic devices possible), photons are difficult to direct. It's one thing to shoot light out in a straight line, but try and bend it around a sharp corner and light scatters wildly. As a result, existing photonics devices used to bend light at a 90-degree angle are bulky and inefficient.