A quick recap of AFRL and AFOSR news mentions over the past week.

April 16, 2012

MetaStable Instruments awarded patent on optical thin-film metrology
Optical components and coatings maker MetaStable Instruments has received a US patent covering a technique for measuring http://www.optoiq.com/articles/2012/04/metastable-instruments-awarded-patent-on-optical-thin-film-metrology.html

April 17, 2012

Oil-spill clean-up may be made easier by carbon-nanotube technology
For the first time, researchers at Penn State University and Rice University have created solid, spongy blocks of carbon nanotubes that have an astounding ability to clean up oil spills in water.
http://live.psu.edu/story/59158

April 19, 2012

UAV test flights this fall will be crucial
Efforts to demonstrate that unmanned aircraft can be flown safely in airspace used by manned airplanes could get an important boost with test flights scheduled this fall, a conference of unmanned aircraft industry officials was told Tuesday.
http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/springfield-news/uav-test-flights-this-fall-will-be-crucial-1361638.html

Industry Seeking to Better Align Research Investments With DoD Needs
A communication disconnect between the Pentagon and industry on where to focus independent research and development (IRAD) efforts has threatened to hinder the advancement of technologies and has kept companies from seeing returns on their investments, government and industry officials said.
http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/blog/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=754

April 21, 2012

New technique efficiently creates single photons for quantum information processing.
Using lasers to excite just one atom from a cloud of ultra-cold rubidium gas, physicists have developed a new way to rapidly and efficiently create single photons for potential use in optical quantum information processing – and in the study of dynamics and disorder in certain physical systems.
http://phys.org/print254064866.html