>> Applied scientists at Harvard University in collaboration with resear- chers from Hamamatsu Photonics in Hamamatsu, Japan, have demonstrated, for the first time, highly directional semiconductor lasers using plasmonics. The innovation opens the door to a wide range of applications in photonics and communications. The work will be featured on the cover of the September issue of Nature Photonics. Please read the full article in the publications page. You can also see the press release and the related press coverage in Technology Review and New Scientist.

>> The Capasso group's latest research on nanowire lasers has been featured on the cover of the August 4 issue of Applied Physics Letters. Please read the full article in the publications page. You can also see the story in the October issue of Laser Focus World.

>> A recent article in The Economist highlights the Capasso group's efforts to modify the Casimir force. The article describes the importance of the Casimir force in nanotechnology, the group's work using MEMS technology at Bell Labs, and the search for repulsive Casimir forces at Harvard.

>> Applied scientists in the Capasso lab have demonstrated a technique for fabricating nanowire photonic and electronic circuits that may be suitable for high-volume production. [full press release]. See also the stories by Nano today, Nanomaterial news, and Nature Photonics.