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.

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