Optics and photonics articles within Nature Communications

Featured

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Electron–hole exchange interaction is an intrinsic property of semiconductors, which affects their fine structure. Brovelliet al. demonstrate a nanoengineering-based approach that provides control over the exchange interaction energy at nearly constant emission energy, which cannot be carried out using core-only nanocrystals.

    • S. Brovelli
    • , R.D. Schaller
    •  & V.I. Klimov

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Nanoantennas may be important for future photonic circuits; they combine an emitter or detector with free-space propagation of light. Dregelyet al. fabricate an array of 3D optical Yagi–Uda nanoantennas and show that radiofrequency antenna array concepts applied to the optical regime can provide improved directional properties.

    • Daniel Dregely
    • , Richard Taubert
    •  & Harald Giessen

  • Article |

    Bismuth ferrite has photoelectric properties that make it an attractive alternative for use in photovoltaic devices. Here, using photoelectric atomic force microscopy, the authors show that photogenerated carriers can be collected by the tip and suggest that this can be used in photoelectric applications.

    • Marin Alexe
    •  & Dietrich Hesse

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Multimode interference devices could allow the implementation of multiport circuits for quantum technologies. Here, quantum interference is demonstrated in 2×2 and 4×4 multimode interference devices, and a technique is reported to characterize such devices.

    • Alberto Peruzzo
    • , Anthony Laing
    •  & Jeremy L. O'Brien

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Until now, invisibility cloaks have only covered a region of a few wavelengths because of their nanostructured materials. Chenet al.describe a macroscopic cloak, made of calcite birefringent crystals, which works for a specific polarization at visible wavelengths.

    • Xianzhong Chen
    • , Yu Luo
    •  & Shuang Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Efficient memory systems are vital for the development of quantum communications technologies. Hosseini and colleagues describe an optical memory based on warm rubidium vapour that achieves 87% pulse recall efficiency, illustrating the potential of warm atomic vapour systems for quantum memory.

    • M. Hosseini
    • , B.M. Sparkes
    •  & B.C. Buchler

  • Article |

    Although hyperlenses made of metamaterials can image sub-diffraction-limited objects, they are limited to one-dimensional magnification and ultraviolet frequencies. Here, the authors demonstrate a spherical hyperlens for visible light far-field imaging, with a resolution of 160 nm in both lateral dimensions.

    • Junsuk Rho
    • , Ziliang Ye
    •  & Xiang Zhang

  • Article |

    The development of optical information processing depends on the demonstration of silicon-based all-optical circuit components. Here, the authors show a monolithic pulse compressor, compatible with current electronic processing technologies, which is able to function at low power input.

    • Dawn T.H. Tan
    • , Pang C. Sun
    •  & Yeshaiahu Fainman

  • Article |

    The challenge of reconstructing the image of an object when viewed through an opaque material is of particular importance for biological tissues. Here, the authors show that it is possible to reconstruct the image of a complex object from interference patterns of multiple wavefronts using phase-shifting interferometry.

    • Sébastien Popoff
    • , Geoffroy Lerosey
    •  & Sylvain Gigan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The phase of a laser pulse is usually random, which prevents its use for phase-resolved measurements. Here, the authors seed a quantum cascade laser with coherent terahertz pulses, forcing laser action to start on a fixed phase. This kind of laser could be used as a source in time-domain spectroscopy.

    • Dimitri Oustinov
    • , Nathan Jukam
    •  & Sukhdeep Dhillon

  • Article
    | Open Access

    One reason for using photonic devices is their speed—much faster than electronic circuits—but there are many challenges in integrating the two technologies. Ferreraet al. construct a CMOS-compatible monolithic optical waveform integrator, a key building block for photonic circuits.

    • M. Ferrera
    • , Y. Park
    •  & J. Azaña

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Optical cloaking has already been demonstrated in two dimensions, and also in three dimensions for a limited range of angles. Now, Ma and Cui present a metamaterial-based cloaking device that can shield an object lying on the ground plane from all viewing angles at microwave frequencies.

    • Hui Feng Ma
    •  & Tie Jun Cui

  • Article |

    Quantum communication applications require memories capable of storing multiple qubits. To implement scalable architectures for this purpose, Usmani and coworkers turn to a rare-earth doped silicate, in which they demonstrate coherent and reversible mapping of 64 optical modes at the single photon level.

    • Imam Usmani
    • , Mikael Afzelius
    •  & Nicolas Gisin

Browse broader subjects

Browse narrower subjects

Browse Optics and photonics across other nature.com journals