This issue - pv

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.231

Full Text - This issue | PDF (150 KB) - This issue

A green revolution - p703

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.232

Climate change is going to force mankind to change the way it behaves, especially when it comes to energy consumption. Photonics could have a significant role to play.

Full Text - A green revolution | PDF (146 KB) - A green revolution

A new light in dentistry - pp705 - 707

Duncan Graham-Rowe

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.235

A visit to a dental clinic could cease to be a fearsome experience. Duncan Graham-Rowe finds out how lasers can help dentists to provide patients with more comfortable and convenient dental treatments.

Full Text - A new light in dentistry | PDF (228 KB) - A new light in dentistry

Watching entanglement, fusing human cells, terawatt diode–pumped lasers and more - pp708 - 709

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.233

Full Text - Watching entanglement, fusing human cells, terawatt diode–pumped lasers and more | PDF (173 KB) - Watching entanglement, fusing human cells, terawatt diode–pumped lasers and more

Ultrafast optics: Femtosecond timing distribution - pp711 - 712

Patrick Gill

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.237

High-precision synchronization of remote timing sources is an increasing problem for large-area facilities, such as radio telescope arrays and particle accelerators. Femtosecond-pulse-train transfer by optical fibre may represent a solution.

Full Text - Ultrafast opticsFemtosecond timing distribution | PDF (381 KB) - Ultrafast opticsFemtosecond timing distribution

Frequency combs: Combs for dark energy - pp712 - 713

Thomas R. Schibli

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.240

By using laser frequency combs to stabilize astronomical spectrometers, it may be possible to better understand our expanding Universe.

Full Text - Frequency combsCombs for dark energy | PDF (943 KB) - Frequency combsCombs for dark energy

Chaotic lasers: The world's fastest dice - pp714 - 715

Thomas E. Murphy & Rajarshi Roy

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.239

The dynamics of chaotic lasers can be harnessed to create a random-number generator that works at an astonishing rate. Such a generator could be implemented to make storage and transfer of data more secure at very high speeds.

Full Text - Chaotic lasersThe world's fastest dice | PDF (392 KB) - Chaotic lasersThe world's fastest dice

Optical delays: Slower for longer - pp715 - 716

Richard M. De La Rue

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.238

Coupled optical microresonators are one way of slowing down light. A new record has now been set for the length of these slow-light waveguides using an array of more than 100 photonic-crystal cavities.

Full Text - Optical delaysSlower for longer | PDF (372 KB) - Optical delaysSlower for longer

Geometrical optics: The dynamics of spinning light - pp717 - 718

Franco Nori

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.242

The effect of spin on the trajectories of polarized light beams has now been experimentally observed, with results that agree with the predictions of Berry phase theory.

Full Text - Geometrical opticsThe dynamics of spinning light | PDF (133 KB) - Geometrical opticsThe dynamics of spinning light

View from...Laserlab Europe: Femtosecond biophotonics - pp718 - 719

Oliver Graydon

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.241

Ultrashort laser pulses now make it possible to fabricate a wide range of biomaterials and implants ranging from cell scaffolds to artificial microvalves.

Full Text - View from...Laserlab EuropeFemtosecond biophotonics | PDF (692 KB) - View from...Laserlab EuropeFemtosecond biophotonics

Single-photon detector: Free from polarization - p719

Rachel Won

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.236

Full Text - Single-photon detectorFree from polarization | PDF (524 KB) - Single-photon detectorFree from polarization

Ceramic laser materials - pp721 - 727

Akio Ikesue & Yan Lin Aung

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.243

The word 'ceramics' is derived from the Greek keramos, meaning pottery and porcelain. The opaque and translucent cement and clay often used in tableware are not appropriate for optical applications because of the high content of optical scattering sources, that is, defects. Recently, scientists have shown that by eliminating the defects, a new, refined ceramic material — polycrystalline ceramic — can be produced. This advanced ceramic material offers practical laser generation and is anticipated to be a highly attractive alternative to conventional glass and single-crystal laser technologies in the future. Here we review the history of the development of ceramic lasers, the principle of laser generation based on this material, some typical results achieved with ceramic lasers so far, and discuss the potential future outlook for the field.

Full Text - Ceramic laser materials | PDF (1,488 KB) - Ceramic laser materials

Fast physical random bit generation with chaotic semiconductor lasers - pp728 - 732

Atsushi Uchida, Kazuya Amano, Masaki Inoue, Kunihito Hirano, Sunao Naito, Hiroyuki Someya, Isao Oowada, Takayuki Kurashige, Masaru Shiki, Shigeru Yoshimori, Kazuyuki Yoshimura & Peter Davis

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.227

Random-number generators are important in digital information systems. However, the speed at which current sources operate is much slower than the typical data rates used in communication and computing. Chaos in semiconductor lasers might help to bridge the gap.

Abstract - | Full Text - Fast physical random bit generation with chaotic semiconductor lasers | PDF (669 KB) - Fast physical random bit generation with chaotic semiconductor lasers | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Fundamental optical physics | Lasers, LEDs and light sources

See also: News and Views by Murphy & Roy

Drift-free femtosecond timing synchronization of remote optical and microwave sources - pp733 - 736

Jungwon Kim, Jonathan A. Cox, Jian Chen & Franz X. Kärtner

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.225

Femtosecond-scale synchronization using mode-locked lasers has been limited to periods of just a few minutes. Now it is shown that, by combining a number of laser techniques, sub-10-fs-precision synchronization of remote lasers and microwave sources is possible for more than 10 hours.

Abstract - | Full Text - Drift-free femtosecond timing synchronization of remote optical and microwave sources | PDF (314 KB) - Drift-free femtosecond timing synchronization of remote optical and microwave sources | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Ultrafast photonics | Lasers, LEDs and light sources

See also: News and Views by Gill

Low-power continuous-wave nonlinear optics in doped silica glass integrated waveguide structures - pp737 - 740

M. Ferrera, L. Razzari, D. Duchesne, R. Morandotti, Z. Yang, M. Liscidini, J. E. Sipe, S. Chu, B. E. Little & D. J. Moss

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.228

The ability to perform low-power, continuous-wave nonlinear optics, in particular four-wave mixing, is demonstrated in doped-silica-glass waveguide ring resonators. The device's low loss and ease of manufacture may make the approach suitable for nonlinear all-optical photonic integrated circuits.

Abstract - | Full Text - Low-power continuous-wave nonlinear optics in doped silica glass integrated waveguide structures | PDF (303 KB) - Low-power continuous-wave nonlinear optics in doped silica glass integrated waveguide structures

Subject Category: Nonlinear optics

Large-scale arrays of ultrahigh-Q coupled nanocavities - pp741 - 747

Masaya Notomi, Eiichi Kuramochi & Takasumi Tanabe

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.226

Coupled optical resonators are one approach to slowing the propagation of light. An array of more than 100 such resonators has now been demonstrated using a photonic crystal. Such a structure can slow light down to below 1% of its speed in a vacuum.

Abstract - | Full Text - Large-scale arrays of ultrahigh-Q coupled nanocavities | PDF (1,061 KB) - Large-scale arrays of ultrahigh-Q coupled nanocavities | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Fundamental optical physics | Novel materials and engineered structures

See also: News and Views by De La Rue

Geometrodynamics of spinning light - pp748 - 753

Konstantin Y. Bliokh, Avi Niv, Vladimir Kleiner & Erez Hasman

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.229

The spin Hall effect, an interaction between particles because of their intrinsic spin, is a central tenet in the field of spintronics. The direct observation of an optical equivalent of the spin Hall effect is now reported.

Abstract - | Full Text - Geometrodynamics of spinning light | PDF (528 KB) - Geometrodynamics of spinning light | Supplementary information

Subject Category: Fundamental optical physics

See also: News and Views by Nori

Photonics at NPG - pp754 - 755

A round-up of recent papers in the field of photonics published by the physical sciences division of the Nature Publishing Group.

Full Text - Photonics at NPG | PDF (192 KB) - Photonics at NPG

Adaptive optics - pp756 - 757

Neil Savage

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.245

The use of deformable mirrors to correct unwanted optical aberrations in real time is helping applications ranging from astronomy to biophotonics and data storage, reports Neil Savage.

Full Text - Adaptive optics | PDF (168 KB) - Adaptive optics

Perfect chaos - p760

Interview with Atsushi Uchida

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.246

Laser noise and chaos are unwanted elements in most circumstances. However, scientists have now learnt how to put them to good use to generate high-quality random bit sequences. Atsushi Uchida from Saitama University in Japan tells Nature Photonics how.

Full Text - Perfect chaos | PDF (137 KB) - Perfect chaos