Displays

Graphene — a form of carbon isolated only six years ago — is the topic of this year's Nobel Prize for Physics, giving hope for future applications of this intriguing material in the field of photonics.

Researchers demonstrate the generation of deep-ultraviolet light of wavelength ∼240 nm from Al_xGa_1−xN/AlN quantum wells by electron beam irradiation, with an output power of 100 mW and an efficiency of ∼40%. This record-breaking power is attributed to the high crystalline quality of the quantum wells and the proper well design for electron beam pumping.

It is well-known that neutral atoms can be trapped using visible light, but the trapping of ions is typically achieved using radiofrequency electromagnetic fields. Researchers have now developed an optical ion trapping technique that may be useful for applications ranging from quantum physics to ultracold chemistry.

Researchers exploit atomic quantum state control in a fully integrated photonic atomic spectroscopy chip to reduce the group velocity of light by a factor of 1,200 — the lowest group velocity ever reported for a solid-state material. The findings will enable the creation of on-chip nonlinear optical devices with enhanced quantum coherence operating at ultralow power levels.

A prototype microscope built with self-reconstructing Bessel beams is shown to be able to reduce scattering artifacts as well as increase image quality and penetration depth in three-dimensional inhomogeneous opaque media.

Colour conversion of single photons may allow the advantages of quantum systems operating at different wavelengths to be simultaneously utilized. Researchers demonstrate the colour conversion of triggered single photons from a semiconductor quantum dot between 1.3 µm to 710 nm. The up-converted signal maintains the quantum character of the original light.

Researchers describe a theoretical mechanism that may ensure high-fidelity entanglement of photons, and thus could be used to construct a practical quantum repeater. The communication rate is shown to be a function of the maximum distance between any two adjacent quantum repeaters, rather than of the entire length of the network.

Researchers in Japan have used electron-beam excitation in an AlGaN/AlGaN quantum-well structure to demonstrate the emission of ultraviolet light at record-breaking efficiency, giving hope for the realization of high-power efficient semiconductor sources of deep-ultraviolet light.

The unexpected demonstration of all-optical trapping of ions offers new possibilities in the simulation of quantum spin systems, ultracold chemistry with ions and more.

Bright X-ray free-electron lasers are beginning to unveil the properties of matter on atomic and femtosecond scales. A truly useful laser must be not only bright but also exhibit simultaneous spatial and temporal coherence, and researchers have now demonstrated a technique that may help to achieve this goal.

Research on solar cells, optical frequency combs, high-power laser diodes and brain monitoring were all topics of discussion at the autumn meeting of the Japan Society of Applied Physics in Nagasaki this September.

Exploiting the self-healing properties of Bessel beams, scientists demonstrate a microscope that offers better image quality and deeper penetration in dense media than current imaging schemes.

Electronic books have really begun to take off in the past few years. Siân Harris finds out about a display company that has helped this to happen.

Holographic laser projection technology, combined with infrared touch-recognition technology, enables consumers to interact with a virtual display that can be projected onto a wall or table.

Microdisplays based on liquid-crystal-on-silicon technology may soon gain wider recognition as they penetrate an increasing number of markets, ranging from electronic viewfinders to miniature data projectors and head-up displays.

Munisamy Anandan, president of the Society for Information Display, talks to Rebecca Pool about the breath-taking technologies that are now emerging in the displays market.

By exploiting optical quantum interference in integrated atomic vapour cells, Holger Schmidt and co-workers have achieved the slowest on-chip light propagation speed reported to date.