Birth of the nanolaser - p545

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2009.171

Laser science looks set to reach new dimensions, following the use of plasmonics to confine optical energy in laser nanocavities, and the recent claims of blue and green stimulated emission from two such lasers.

Full Text - Birth of the nanolaser | PDF (106 KB) - Birth of the nanolaser

How to recognize lasing - pp546 - 549

Ifor D. W. Samuel, Ebinazar B. Namdas & Graham A. Turnbull

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2009.173

The race to demonstrate new lasers, including electrically pumped polymer lasers, makes it a good time to reflect on the measurements that must be undertaken to support a claim of lasing.

Full Text - How to recognize lasing | PDF (160 KB) - How to recognize lasing

Tunable structural colour - pp551 - 553

Duncan Graham-Rowe

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2009.172

Strain gauges that change colour when stressed, bright backlight-free displays and highly sensitive biological sensors are all potential applications of tunable photonic crystal materials, reports Duncan Graham-Rowe.

Full Text - Tunable structural colour | PDF (454 KB) - Tunable structural colour

Our choice from the recent literature - pp554 - 555

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2009.174

Full Text - Our choice from the recent literature | PDF (159 KB) - Our choice from the recent literature

Metrology: Lattice clocks embrace ytterbium - pp557 - 558

Helen S. Margolis

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2009.182

Accurate frequency measurements of a narrow optical clock transition in ¹⁷¹Yb atoms trapped in an optical lattice establish this system as a serious contender in the quest to develop increasingly accurate atomic clocks.

Full Text - MetrologyLattice clocks embrace ytterbium | PDF (118 KB) - MetrologyLattice clocks embrace ytterbium

Optical switching: Excitonic interconnects - pp558 - 560

Marc Baldo & Vladimir Stojanovi

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2009.178

Interconnects and switches relying on excitons — quasiparticles consisting of bound electron–hole pairs — may offer a promising energy-efficient alternative to electrons in wires for future electronic circuitry.

Full Text - Optical switchingExcitonic interconnects | PDF (281 KB) - Optical switchingExcitonic interconnects

Liquid crystals: Tunable whispers - pp560 - 561

Hiroshi Yokoyama

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2009.179

The news that spherical droplets of a liquid crystal can function as whispering-gallery-mode microresonators with an unprecedented width of wavelength tunability could be good news for fabricating new kinds of sensors and lasers.

Full Text - Liquid crystalsTunable whispers | PDF (327 KB) - Liquid crystalsTunable whispers

Micropatterning: Photonic domes - p562

Rachel Won

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2009.175

Full Text - MicropatterningPhotonic domes | PDF (132 KB) - MicropatterningPhotonic domes

Silicon photonics: Beating the electronics bottleneck - pp562 - 564

David J. Richardson

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2009.180

The use of cascaded nonlinear silicon waveguides that function as 'time lenses' is providing new opportunities for generating and measuring ultrafast optical waveforms.

Full Text - Silicon photonicsBeating the electronics bottleneck | PDF (245 KB) - Silicon photonicsBeating the electronics bottleneck

Light sources: Tackling the deep ultraviolet - pp564 - 566

Christoph E. Nebel

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2009.177

Could hexagonal boron nitride turn out to be the answer for a practical and compact source of deep-ultraviolet light? Although initial results are promising, the challenge for the future is in improving the fabrication technology.

Full Text - Light sourcesTackling the deep ultraviolet | PDF (231 KB) - Light sourcesTackling the deep ultraviolet

Photoacoustics: Laser ultrasound checks tooth health - p566

Oliver Graydon

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2009.176

Full Text - PhotoacousticsLaser ultrasound checks tooth health | PDF (146 KB) - PhotoacousticsLaser ultrasound checks tooth health

View from... SPIE optics and photonics 2009: Soft-X-ray lasers' calling - pp567 - 568

Rachel Won

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2009.181

High-resolution microscopy, lithography and materials analysis all look set to benefit from the emergence of compact and efficient table-top soft-X-ray lasers.

Full Text - View from... SPIE optics and photonics 2009Soft-X-ray lasers' calling | PDF (365 KB) - View from... SPIE optics and photonics 2009Soft-X-ray lasers' calling

Nanowire photonics - pp569 - 576

Ruoxue Yan, Daniel Gargas & Peidong Yang

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2009.184

Semiconductor nanowires, by definition, typically have cross-sectional dimensions that can be tuned from 2–200 nm, with lengths spanning from hundreds of nanometres to millimetres. These subwavelength structures represent a new class of semiconductor materials for investigating light generation, propagation, detection, amplification and modulation. After more than a decade of research, nanowires can now be synthesized and assembled with specific compositions, heterojunctions and architectures. This has led to a host of nanowire photonic devices including photodetectors, chemical and gas sensors, waveguides, LEDs, microcavity lasers, solar cells and nonlinear optical converters. A fully integrated photonic platform using nanowire building blocks promises advanced functionalities at dimensions compatible with on-chip technologies.

Full Text - Nanowire photonics | PDF (774 KB) - Nanowire photonics

Excitonic switches operating at around 100 K - pp577 - 580

G. Grosso, J. Graves, A. T. Hammack, A. A. High, L. V. Butov, M. Hanson & A. C. Gossard

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2009.166

Exciton optoelectronic devices have been demonstrated previously at an operating temperature of 1.5 K. Here, experimental proof-of-principle for excitonic switching devices at approximately 100 K is demonstrated. Excitonic devices promise high operation speed and optoelectronic integration in compact dimensions.

Abstract - | Full Text - Excitonic switches operating at around 100 K | PDF (415 KB) - Excitonic switches operating at around 100 K | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Optoelectronic devices and components | Fundamental optical physics

See also: News and Views by Baldo & Stojanovi

Ultrafast waveform compression using a time-domain telescope - pp581 - 585

Mark A. Foster, Reza Salem, Yoshitomo Okawachi, Amy C. Turner-Foster, Michal Lipson & Alexander L. Gaeta

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2009.169

By exploiting the nonlinearity of on-chip silicon nanowaveguides, a parametric temporal imaging system that can compress optical waveforms in time is demonstrated, enabling generation of complex and rapidly updatable ultrafast optical waveforms.

Abstract - | Full Text - Ultrafast waveform compression using a time-domain telescope | PDF (352 KB) - Ultrafast waveform compression using a time-domain telescope

Low-divergence single-mode terahertz quantum cascade laser - pp586 - 590

M. I. Amanti, M. Fischer, G. Scalari, M. Beck & J. Faist

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2009.168

A terahertz quantum cascade laser that uses a grating etched into a double-metal waveguide to greatly improve the laser's performance is reported. The grating enhances the laser's optical power extraction and provides control over its emission wavelength and beam quality, yielding a single-mode beam that has a divergence of less than 10 degrees in both axes and a power of up to 15 mW.

Abstract - | Full Text - Low-divergence single-mode terahertz quantum cascade laser | PDF (1,767 KB) - Low-divergence single-mode terahertz quantum cascade laser | Supplementary information

Far-ultraviolet plane-emission handheld device based on hexagonal boron nitride - pp591 - 594

Kenji Watanabe, Takashi Taniguchi, Takahiro Niiyama, Kenta Miya & Masateru Taniguchi

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2009.167

A handheld and battery-operated far-ultraviolet plane-emission device is demonstrated. The device has low current consumption and stable operation at an output power of 0.2 mW at 225 nm, and may be useful in photochemical and biotechnological applications such as photo catalysis, sterilization and the modification of chemical substances.

Abstract - | Full Text - Far-ultraviolet plane-emission handheld device based on hexagonal boron nitride | PDF (373 KB) - Far-ultraviolet plane-emission handheld device based on hexagonal boron nitride

Electrically tunable liquid crystal optical microresonators - pp595 - 600

M. Humar, M. Ravnik, S. Pajk & I. Muevi

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2009.170

Whispering-gallery-mode resonators made of nematic liquid-crystal droplets offer a wavelength tunability approximately two orders of magnitude larger than that of conventional solid-state microresonators.

Abstract - | Full Text - Electrically tunable liquid crystal optical microresonators | PDF (487 KB) - Electrically tunable liquid crystal optical microresonators | Supplementary information

Subject Category: Novel materials and engineered structures

See also: News and Views by Yokoyama

Spectrometers - pp601 - 602

Neil Savage

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2009.185

Analysis of the spectral content of light is important in countless applications, ranging from biomedicine to material analysis and product quality control, reports Neil Savage.

Full Text - Spectrometers | PDF (186 KB) - Spectrometers

Excitonics heats up - p604

Interview with Leonid Butov

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2009.186

Until now, excitonic devices have only been realized at temperatures of 1.5 K. Nature Photonics spoke to Leonid Butov from the University of California in San Diego about his group's recent demonstration of excitonic switches operating at 125 K.

Full Text - Excitonics heats up | PDF (129 KB) - Excitonics heats up