Scientists Captured Light in a Trap 2,000 Times Thinner Than a Human Hair

A University of Warsaw-led team trapped infrared light in an ultra-thin molybdenum diselenide (MoSe2) grating.

Using molecular beam epitaxy, they created a 42-nanometer structure with a bound state in the continuum that confines light.

The result points to a new way to control waves in atomically thin materials for much smaller photonic devices.

It could help enable advanced components for optical computing and other nanoscale light-based technologies.