Light is the science of the future – the Africans using it to solve local challenges

By Andrew Forbes, Professor, University of the Witwatersrand
Patience Mthunzi-Kufa, Distinguished Professor, University of South Africa

Light is all around us, essential for one of our primary senses (sight) as well as life on Earth itself. It underpins many technologies that affect our daily lives, including energy harvesting with solar cells, light-emitting-diode (LED) displays and telecommunications through fibre optic networks.

The smartphone is a great example of the power of light. Inside the box, its electronic functionality works because of quantum mechanics. The front screen is an entirely photonic device: liquid crystals…

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