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The demonstration that Airy beams can transport small particles along curved paths of light may lead to a wealth of new applications in optical micromanipulation. Nature Photonics spoke to Kishan Dholakia from the University of St Andrews in Scotland about the idea.
By introducing a radial chirp in the dimension of the cells surrounding the central core, researchers now demonstrate a low-dispersion photonic-crystal fibre that could overcome the long-standing problem of ultrashort-pulse delivery.
A bifacial dye-sensitized solar cell that can efficiently generate electricity when illuminated from either side may help bring down the cost of solar energy production.
Improvements in interferometry have made it a powerful and attractive technique for characterizing tiny devices based on microelectromechanical systems.
The advent of three-dimensional optical metrology has brought many benefits to industrial quality control of aircraft engines, according to the turbine-blade manufacturer GE.
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded for research inspired by jellyfish. This is a reminder that the natural world continues to hint at solutions to modern technological dilemmas, and that when it comes to simple and effective solutions, nature is usually well ahead of man.
Famous for its use in clothing since early times, silk is now finding a new application as a useful biocompatible material in photonic devices. Thin films, diffraction gratings and organic photonic crystals are just a few of the exciting possibilities.
The ability of Airy light beams to transport microparticles along curved, self-healed paths may lead to useful applications in biology and colloidal science.
Low-cost, efficient solar cells are sought as an alternative to silicon photovoltaics. Here a dye-based bifacial solar cell that is capable of efficient generation of electricity for light incident on either its front or rear face is demonstrated.
Hollow-core photonic-crystal fibres enable confinement of light on a much tighter scale than is possible with conventional fibre. But dispersion makes it difficult to transmit very short, sub 100 fs, pulses over long distances. A chirped structure could offer a solution.
Tiny optical cavities can influence spontaneous emission of light from atoms and their artificial equivalent, quantum dots. In the past, two–dimensional photonic crystals have been used to create such cavities for quantum dots, now a three–dimensional structure enables full confinement of light in all directions.