Table of contents
Editorial
Remembering Maiman - p257
doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.63
This month, the CLEO/QELS conference has a tribute symposium to the famous laser inventor Ted Maiman. Be sure not to miss it.
Full Text - Remembering Maiman | PDF (248 KB) - Remembering Maiman
Commentary
The road to nanophotonics - pp258 - 260
Amber Jenkins
doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.64
Nanophotonics is in its infancy, but a recently published European roadmap is the first attempt to paint a detailed picture of the industry that could emerge in the future.
Full Text - The road to nanophotonics | PDF (479 KB) - The road to nanophotonics
Profile
Light at the end of the poverty tunnel - pp261 - 263
doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.56
Light Up The World, a non-profit organization founded by optical engineer Dave Irvine-Halliday, is on a mission to bring safe, clean and affordable lighting to impoverished people. Nature Photonics finds out more.
Full Text - Light at the end of the poverty tunnel | PDF (853 KB) - Light at the end of the poverty tunnel
Research Highlights
Plasmonic sensing of neural signals, optical-fibre black holes, optimized nanolasers, ultrafast optical switches, and more - pp264 - 265
doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.57
Full Text - Plasmonic sensing of neural signals, optical-fibre black holes, optimized nanolasers, ultrafast optical switches, and more | PDF (410 KB) - Plasmonic sensing of neural signals, optical-fibre black holes, optimized nanolasers, ultrafast optical switches, and more
News and Views
Metamaterials: A tunable terahertz response - pp267 - 268
Daniel Mittleman
doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.58
The ability to tune the resonant frequency of a metamaterial in the terahertz region will help to overcome some of the limitations of customary designs demonstrated so far. The result could be a new breed of active, frequency-agile devices that are controlled by light.
Full Text - MetamaterialsA tunable terahertz response | PDF (427 KB) - MetamaterialsA tunable terahertz response
Quantum optics: Beyond single-photon counting - pp268 - 269
Alexander V. Sergienko
doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.59
The ability to distinguish how many photons comprise a particular state of light leads to significant benefits in practical quantum information processing and quantum cryptography. Superconducting nanostructures provide an effective solution at telecom wavelengths.
Full Text - Quantum opticsBeyond single-photon counting | PDF (232 KB) - Quantum opticsBeyond single-photon counting
Optical cloaking: A many-layered solution - p270
Amber Jenkins
doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.55
Full Text - Optical cloakingA many-layered solution | PDF (277 KB) - Optical cloakingA many-layered solution
Plasmonics: Engineering optical nanoantennas - pp270 - 272
Mark L. Brongersma
doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.60
Optical antennas are the short-wavelength equivalent of the common radiofrequency structures. Taking this analogy one step further, the design concepts of radiofrequency lumped circuit elements can effectively be transplanted to optical wavelengths.
Full Text - PlasmonicsEngineering optical nanoantennas | PDF (499 KB) - PlasmonicsEngineering optical nanoantennas
Laser-generated plasmas: Probing plasma dynamics - pp272 - 273
P. B. Corkum
doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.62
Researchers in Germany have shown that an ultrafast electron beam can be used to probe the dynamics of laser-generated plasmas with picosecond resolution.
Full Text - Laser-generated plasmasProbing plasma dynamics | PDF (192 KB) - Laser-generated plasmasProbing plasma dynamics
Microscopy: Polarized high-resolution imaging - pp273 - 274
Stephen Ippolito
doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.61
By making use of polarization control, researchers have achieved a record 100-nm resolution when imaging buried transistors in an integrated circuit.
Full Text - MicroscopyPolarized high-resolution imaging | PDF (192 KB) - MicroscopyPolarized high-resolution imaging
Letters
Experimental demonstration of frequency-agile terahertz metamaterials - pp295 - 298
Hou-Tong Chen, John F. O'Hara, Abul K. Azad, Antoinette J. Taylor, Richard D. Averitt, David B. Shrekenhamer & Willie J. Padilla
doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.52
Metamaterials that possess frequency tunability enable new device functions. By external optical control through the incorporation of semiconductors in metallic split-ring resonators, the researchers provide an elegant solution to frequency-agile terahertz metamaterials.
Abstract - | Full Text - Experimental demonstration of frequency-agile terahertz metamaterials | PDF (304 KB) - Experimental demonstration of frequency-agile terahertz metamaterials
Subject Categories: Novel materials and engineered structures | Terahertz optics
See also: News and Views by Mittleman
Omnidirectional absorption in nanostructured metal surfaces - pp299 - 301
T. V. Teperik, F. J. García de Abajo, A. G. Borisov, M. Abdelsalam, P. N. Bartlett, Y. Sugawara & J. J. Baumberg
doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.76
Light absorbers are not 100% efficient, and it is a challenge to absorb light completely for any direction of incidence. Using nanostructured metal surfaces, de Abajo and colleagues show that such omnidirectional absorption is now possible, potentially leading to more efficient solar cells.
Abstract - | Full Text - Omnidirectional absorption in nanostructured metal surfaces | PDF (216 KB) - Omnidirectional absorption in nanostructured metal surfaces | Supplementary information
Subject Categories: Nanophotonics | Plasmonics
Superconducting nanowire photon-number-resolving detector at telecommunication wavelengths - pp302 - 306
Aleksander Divochiy, Francesco Marsili, David Bitauld, Alessandro Gaggero, Roberto Leoni, Francesco Mattioli, Alexander Korneev, Vitaliy Seleznev, Nataliya Kaurova, Olga Minaeva, Gregory Gol'tsman, Konstantinos G. Lagoudakis, Moushab Benkhaoul, Francis Lévy & Andrea Fiore
doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.51
The drive to develop detectors capable of counting the number of photons in a weak optical pulse is motivated by potential applications in quantum computing. Superconducting nanostructures are one exciting approach: offering high sensitivity and operate at repetition rates up to 80 MHz.
Abstract - | Full Text - Superconducting nanowire photon-number-resolving detector at telecommunication wavelengths | PDF (629 KB) - Superconducting nanowire photon-number-resolving detector at telecommunication wavelengths
Subject Category: Quantum optics
See also: News and Views by Sergienko
Tuning the scattering response of optical nanoantennas with nanocircuit loads - pp307 - 310
Andrea Alù & Nader Engheta
doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.53
Optical-frequency antennas efficiently couple light into very small volumes. Introducing an important concept from radiofrequency antenna design, that of loading with so-called lumped circuit elements, may provide a way of tuning the frequency response of optical nanoantennas.
Abstract - | Full Text - Tuning the scattering response of optical nanoantennas with nanocircuit loads | PDF (267 KB) - Tuning the scattering response of optical nanoantennas with nanocircuit loads
Subject Categories: Plasmonics | Nanophotonics
See also: News and Views by Brongersma
Nanoscale optical microscopy in the vectorial focusing regime - pp311 - 314
K. A. Serrels, E. Ramsay, R. J. Warburton & D. T. Reid
doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.29
It has been known for many decades that tightly focusing light introduces asymmetry. The impact of this on imaging, as is now demonstrated using solid immersion lenses, is that resolution becomes dependent on the polarization of the light.
Abstract - | Full Text - Nanoscale optical microscopy in the vectorial focusing regime | PDF (327 KB) - Nanoscale optical microscopy in the vectorial focusing regime
Subject Categories: Imaging and sensing | Fundamental optical physics
See also: News and Views by Ippolito
Picosecond electron deflectometry of optical-field ionized plasmas - pp315 - 318
Martin Centurion, Peter Reckenthaeler, Sergei A. Trushin, Ferenc Krausz & Ernst E. Fill
doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.77
Laser-generated plasmas are important for the creation of X-ray lasers and attosecond light pulses, but observing the internal dynamics of a plasma is difficult. This paper reports a method for real-time imaging of the electric-field distribution in such plasmas with ultrahigh temporal resolution, yielding a new insight into their behaviour
Abstract - | Full Text - Picosecond electron deflectometry of optical-field ionized plasmas | PDF (310 KB) - Picosecond electron deflectometry of optical-field ionized plasmas
Subject Category: Fundamental optical physics
See also: News and Views by Corkum
Photonics at NPG
A round-up of recent papers in the field of photonics published by the physical sciences division of the Nature Publishing Group. - pp319 - 320
doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.74
Full Text - A round-up of recent papers in the field of photonics published by the physical sciences division of the Nature Publishing Group. | PDF (342 KB) - A round-up of recent papers in the field of photonics published by the physical sciences division of the Nature Publishing Group.
Interview
Taming the terahertz - p324
Interview with Hou-Tong Chen
doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.75
Metamaterials have now evolved to a level where their resonant frequency can be optically tuned in the terahertz region. Nature Photonics spoke to Hou-Tong Chen from Los Alamos National Laboratory about the achievement.
Full Text - Taming the terahertz | PDF (235 KB) - Taming the terahertz