photonics

American  

[foh-ton-iks] / foʊˈtɒn ɪks /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

1. the study and technology of the use of light for the transmission of information.

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photonics British  

/ fəʊˈtɒnɪks /

noun

1. (functioning as singular) the study and design of devices and systems, such as optical fibres, that depend on the transmission, modulation, or amplification of streams of photons

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photonics Scientific  

/ fō-tŏn′ĭks /

1. The scientific study or application of electromagnetic energy whose basic unit is the photon, incorporating optics, laser technology, electrical engineering, materials science, and information storage and processing.

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Etymology

Origin of photonics

1950–55; photonic, -ics; perhaps on the model of electronics

Example Sentences

Professor Patané, who led the sensor development, explains what makes the results stand out: "This work combines for the first time the generation of femtosecond UV-C laser pulses with their fast detection by 2D semiconductors. Unexpectedly, the new sensors exhibit a linear to super-linear photocurrent response to pulse energy, a highly desirable property, laying the foundation for UV-C-based photonics operating on femtosecond timescales over a wide range of pulse energies and repetition rates."

From Science Daily

Tim Klee, a PhD student at Imperial, adds that ease of use and accessibility will be critical moving forward: "A compact, efficient and simple UV-C source will benefit the wider scientific and industrial community, stimulating further research on UV-C photonics."

From Science Daily

The review article, featured as the cover article on the November 2025 issue of Nature Photonics, reflects a long-running partnership between Vallés and the structured light research group led by Forbes at the Faculty of Physics of the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.

From Science Daily

An international research team that includes scientists from the UAB has published a new review in Nature Photonics examining a fast-growing field known as quantum structured light.

From Science Daily

Tower Semiconductor, which produces silicon photonics, and Corning, which makes fiber, are Hosseini’s two top picks.

From Barron's