Anxious times - p65

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.274

Photovoltaics and LED lighting look set to ride out the economic downturn, but a spate of consolidation in other sectors is likely as markets decline in 2009.

Full Text - Anxious times | PDF (210 KB) - Anxious times

Recession brings mixed fortunes for photonics - pp67 - 68

Neil Savage

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.277

While many areas of photonics are being hit hard by the global recession and credit-crunch, others such as solar energy generation and solid-state lighting seem to be continuing to flourish.

Full Text - Recession brings mixed fortunes for photonics | PDF (135 KB) - Recession brings mixed fortunes for photonics

Photonic tasting - pp69 - 71

Duncan Graham-Rowe

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.276

Accurate and efficient testing is essential for ensuring the quality and safety of the food we eat. Whereas most analysis methods are destructive, Duncan Graham-Rowe reports that optical techniques are not only non-invasive but in some cases can also assess nutritional content.

Full Text - Photonic tasting | PDF (325 KB) - Photonic tasting

Our choice from the latest literature - pp72 - 73

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.275

Full Text - Our choice from the latest literature | PDF (198 KB) - Our choice from the latest literature

Metamaterials: Loss as a route to transparency - p75

Natalia M. Litchinitser & Vladimir M. Shalaev

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.280

Practical low-loss metamaterials at optical frequencies may soon be realized thanks to optical parametric amplification that uses backwards propagation of a signal beam in negative-index metamaterials. Surprisingly, increasing losses at the idler frequency leads to broadband transparency or amplification at the signal frequency.

Full Text - MetamaterialsLoss as a route to transparency | PDF (116 KB) - MetamaterialsLoss as a route to transparency

Atomic memory: A little nonlinear help - pp76 - 77

Michael Fleischhauer

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.282

Storing a light pulse in a vapour is by now a standard laboratory technique. For such optical memory to become truly practical, however, the fidelity of the technique has to be improved. Combining light storage with nonlinear wave mixing may offer a way forwards.

Full Text - Atomic memoryA little nonlinear help | PDF (95 KB) - Atomic memoryA little nonlinear help

Silicon photonics: A chip-scale one-way valve for light - pp77 - 79

S. J. Ben Yoo

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.279

For integrated photonics to take off, light signals zooming around optical chips must be successfully isolated from one another. Scientists at Stanford University have now designed a miniature one-way valve for light that uses photonic transitions and is potentially compatible with silicon-chip CMOS fabrication processes.

Full Text - Silicon photonicsA chip-scale one-way valve for light | PDF (1,899 KB) - Silicon photonicsA chip-scale one-way valve for light

Biophotonics: Eavesdropping on DNA replication - pp79 - 80

David Pile

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.283

The use of fluorescent tagging and nanoscale waveguides looks set to make real-time DNA sequencing a realistic proposition. Commercial devices based on nanophotonics are expected in 2010.

Full Text - BiophotonicsEavesdropping on DNA replication | PDF (1,721 KB) - BiophotonicsEavesdropping on DNA replication

Optofluids: Arbitrary flow - p80

David Pile

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.278

Full Text - OptofluidsArbitrary flow | PDF (98 KB) - OptofluidsArbitrary flow

Bioimaging: Protein watching - pp81 - 82

Giuseppe Chirico

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.281

A spectral decomposition of the fluorescence emission from labelled receptors within cells, together with a simple but accurate data analysis of their mutual Förster resonant energy transfer, can provide high-resolution real-time imaging of the fate of intracellular proteins.

Full Text - BioimagingProtein watching | PDF (99 KB) - BioimagingProtein watching

Spectroscopy: Frequency comb benefits - pp82 - 84

Thomas Udem

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.284

By using an optical frequency comb as a light source for Fourier transform spectroscopy, scientists show that well-resolved absorption and dispersion spectra can be recorded simultaneously, providing sensitive detection of multiple molecular species over a broad spectral window.

Full Text - SpectroscopyFrequency comb benefits | PDF (106 KB) - SpectroscopyFrequency comb benefits

Ten years of nonlinear optics in photonic crystal fibre - pp85 - 90

John M. Dudley & J. Roy Taylor

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.285

The year 2009 marks the tenth anniversary of the first report of white-light supercontinuum generation in photonic crystal fibre. This result had a tremendous impact on the field of nonlinear fibre optics and continues to open up new horizons in photonic science. Here we provide a concise and critical summary of the current state of nonlinear optics in photonic crystal fibre, identifying some of the most important and interesting recent developments in the field. We also discuss several emerging research directions and point out links with other areas of physics that are now becoming apparent.

Full Text - Ten years of nonlinear optics in photonic crystal fibre | PDF (1,211 KB) - Ten years of nonlinear optics in photonic crystal fibre

Complete optical isolation created by indirect interband photonic transitions - pp91 - 94

Zongfu Yu & Shanhui Fan

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.273

The realization of a chip-based, broadband optical isolator is of considerable interest for integrated photonics. To date, no technique has been shown to be able to do this using materials and processes that are CMOS-compatible. Now, scientists propose that the use of direction-dependent photonic mode transitions in silicon nanophotonic structures could be the solution.

Abstract - | Full Text - Complete optical isolation created by indirect interband photonic transitions | PDF (431 KB) - Complete optical isolation created by indirect interband photonic transitions | Supplementary information

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

See also: News and Views by Yoo

Observation of optical-fibre Kerr nonlinearity at the single-photon level - pp95 - 98

Nobuyuki Matsuda, Ryosuke Shimizu, Yasuyoshi Mitsumori, Hideo Kosaka & Keiichi Edamatsu

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.292

The tiny phase changes introduced by nonlinear optics performed at the single-photon level is reported in a photonic crystal fibre with carefully designed nonlinear and dispersion properties. The approach may prove useful in future quantum information processing schemes.

Abstract - | Full Text - Observation of optical-fibre Kerr nonlinearity at the single-photon level | PDF (348 KB) - Observation of optical-fibre Kerr nonlinearity at the single-photon level | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Quantum optics | Nonlinear optics | Fibre optics and optical communications

Fourier transform spectroscopy with a laser frequency comb - pp99 - 102

Julien Mandon, Guy Guelachvili & Nathalie Picqué

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.293

By using an optical frequency comb as the light source for Fourier transform spectroscopy, scientists show that well-resolved broadband absorption and dispersion spectra can be recorded in a single experiment, providing sensitive detection of multiple molecular species over a broad spectral window.

Abstract - | Full Text - Fourier transform spectroscopy with a laser frequency comb | PDF (865 KB) - Fourier transform spectroscopy with a laser frequency comb | Supplementary information

Subject Category: Spectroscopy

See also: News and Views by Udem

Four-wave-mixing stopped light in hot atomic rubidium vapour - pp103 - 106

Ryan M. Camacho, Praveen K. Vudyasetu & John C. Howell

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.290

The coherent storage and retrieval of a four-wave-mixing normal mode in a hot atomic rubidium vapour may prove to be useful for future information processing schemes.

Abstract - | Full Text - Four-wave-mixing stopped light in hot atomic rubidium vapour | PDF (334 KB) - Four-wave-mixing stopped light in hot atomic rubidium vapour

Subject Categories: Fundamental optical physics | Nonlinear optics

See also: News and Views by Fleischhauer

Determination of supramolecular structure and spatial distribution of protein complexes in living cells - pp107 - 113

Valerica Raicu, Michael R. Stoneman, Russell Fung, Mike Melnichuk, David B. Jansma, Luca F. Pisterzi, Sasmita Rath, Michael Fox, James W. Wells & Dilano K. Saldin

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.291

The combination of spectrally resolved two-photon microscopy, fluorescent tags and appropriate theory makes it possible to determine the complex size, configuration and spatial distribution of proteins in single living cells. The findings made could lead to ways of tracking the cellular dynamics of individual molecular complexes.

Abstract - | Full Text - Determination of supramolecular structure and spatial distribution of protein complexes in living cells | PDF (514 KB) - Determination of supramolecular structure and spatial distribution of protein complexes in living cells | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Imaging and sensing | Biophotonics

See also: News and Views by Chirico

Supercontinuum sources - pp114 - 115

Neil Savage

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2009.286

The emergence of convenient sources of broadband light spanning the visible and near-infrared is proving increasingly useful for applications involving spectroscopy, imaging and metrology, reports Neil Savage.

Full Text - Supercontinuum sources | PDF (169 KB) - Supercontinuum sources

On-chip optical isolation - p116

Interview with Zongfu Yu & Shanhui Fan

doi:10.1038/nphoton.2009.287

Nature Photonics spoke to Zongfu Yu and Shanhui Fan from Stanford University about their proposed 'one-way valve for light' that suits integration on a photonic silicon chip.

Full Text - On-chip optical isolation | PDF (101 KB) - On-chip optical isolation