Research Laboratory of Electronics

Dennis Freeman appointed dean for undergraduate educationElectrical engineering and computer science professor has lengthy record of leadership in teaching, advising and curricular innovation.

Making quantum encryption practicalAn MIT team that proposed a new, more-practical scheme for using quantum physics to secure data transmission has now demonstrated it experimentally.

Toward practical compressed sensingResearchers show how the vagaries of real-world circuitry affect the performance of a promising new technique in signal processing and imaging.

Chips that can steer lightRecord-setting ‘optical phased arrays’ could lead to better laser rangefinders, smaller medical-imaging devices and even holographic TVs.

Flexible, light solar cells could provide new opportunitiesMIT researchers develop a new approach using graphene sheets coated with nanowires.

Maria Zuber appointed vice president for researchClaude Canizares will take a new role as a vice president with responsibility for international partnerships.

Department snapshot: Electrical Engineering and Computer ScienceEECS places renewed emphasis on interdisciplinary research, partnerships with alumni and industry, and experiential learning.

What number is halfway between 1 and 9? Is it 5 — or 3?A new information-theoretical model of human sensory perception and memory sheds light on some peculiarities of the nervous system.

How to clean up oil spillsMIT researchers devise a surprisingly simple but effective method for magnetically separating oil and water.

A one-way street for spinning atomsWork correlating ultracold atoms’ spin with their direction of motion may help physicists model new circuit devices and unusual phases of matter.

Hu awarded IEEE Photonics Society achievement award

Researchers build a toolbox for synthetic biologyEngineers design new proteins that can help control novel genetic circuits in cells.

Single-photon transmitter could enable new quantum devicesLong-sought goal for quantum devices — the ability to transmit single photons while blocking multiple photons — is finally achieved.

Five MIT researchers win presidential early career honorsJarillo-Herrero, Lu, Pathak, Sinha and Thaler among 96 winners.

Research update: Chips with self-assembling rectanglesNew technique allows production of complex microchip structures in one self-assembling step.

Dripping faucets inspire new way of creating structured particlesResearchers find new method for making spherical particles, from nanoscale to pinhead-sized — including complex beach-ball-like shapes.

Researchers explain how dye-based nanotubes can help harvest light’s energyTiny cylinders help reveal how natural-light-harvesting antennae collect light with exceptional efficiency.

A new approach to water desalinationGraphene sheets with precisely controlled pores have potential to purify water more efficiently than existing methods.

Teaching self-assembling structures a new trickMIT researchers produce 3-D configurations that could lead to new microchips and other devices.

A physicist and an inventorNew technologies from Marin Soljacic’s lab could have a far-reaching impact on daily life.

In search of new ways of producing nano-materialsKong’s research focuses on how to make and control novel forms of thin-film carbon.

Sensing when the brain is under pressureNew monitoring strategy forgoes surgery, could help doctors treat patients with head injuries.

Fiber laser points to woven 3-D displaysA fiber that can emit light along its length in any direction may herald flexible 3-D displays and medical tools that activate therapeutic compounds with bursts of light.

Microchips’ optical futureTo keep energy consumption under control, future chips may need to move data using light instead of electricity — and the technical expertise to build them may reside in the United States.

3-D cameras for cellphonesClever math could enable a high-quality 3-D camera so simple, cheap and power-efficient that it could be incorporated into handheld devices.

Research update: Sharpening the linesNew advance could lead to even smaller features in the constant quest for more compact, faster microchips.

David Staelin, longtime professor in EECS and RLE, dies at 73Researcher led a career distinguished by abundant accomplishments, widespread impact in his 55 years at MIT.