Browse Articles

Polarization is a convenient way to encode quantum information for cryptography, remote transfer and optical quantum computing, but sharing entanglement is problematic over a noisy link. Hiding in an isolated corner of the state space can make a big difference.

Waveguides are crucial for directing light, but truly useful waveguides should confine light on the nanoscale. Researchers show that a semiconducting nanowire close to a metallic surface can confine light far below the diffraction limit and guide it over dozens of wavelengths.

Protecting your eyes is of course important when using lasers. The good news is that safety eyewear is becoming increasingly comfortable and stylish. Neil Savage reports.

What are the origins of slow-light research and where is the field heading? Nature Photonics spoke to Robert Boyd to find out.

In optical networks of the future, the ability to slow and store light pulses to optimize the flow of data is likely to become indispensable. To celebrate the importance of the topic, this issue has a special focus dedicated to slow light.

The extreme speed at which light moves, and the fact that photons do not tend to interact with transparent matter, is of enormous benefit to mankind. It allows us to see deep into the Universe and to transmit data over long distances in optical fibres. So, why slow light down?

Single-photon emission from carbon nanotubes has been observed by researchers in Switzerland. The findings give hope for a new type of light source for quantum computing and quantum communication.

Maxwell's demon has now been realized using laser light. The ability to let atoms pass one way but not the other through a light 'gate' could provide new means to cool atomic and molecular vapours.

Liquid-crystal displays are hugely successful in today's world, but their back-light transmission efficiency is relatively small. Nature Photonics spoke to Anna Pyayt, who, with colleagues at Microsoft, has devised a display approach that could offer improved light efficiency at lower cost.

A round-up of recent papers in the field of photonics published by the physical sciences division of the Nature Publishing Group.

Slow-light effects in ultracold atom clouds known as Bose–Einstein condensates offer rich opportunities for storing and processing optical signals.

X-ray Fourier transform holography using free-electron lasers has the potential to enable nanoscale imaging on the timescale of atomic motion. A technique that dramatically increases the efficiency of this technique could move us a step towards such imaging.

The unique properties of wide-bandwidth and dispersion-free propagation in photonic-crystal devices have made them a good candidate for slow-light generation. This article gives the background theory of slow light, as well as an overview of recent experimental demonstrations based on photonic-band engineering.

This article reviews different approaches for slow- and fast-light generation in optical fibres at telecommunication wavelengths, with emphasis on the stimulated–Brillouin–scattering approach — a relatively active area in optical–fibre–based control of slow and fast light.

Nanfang Yu and colleagues show that plasmonics can be used to reduce the spread of laser beams. They demonstrate their technique using a quantum cascade laser, and show that by defining a metallic subwavelength slit and grating onto the facet of the laser, a beam divergence of 2.4 degrees can be achieved. The technique can potentially be used to collimate the beams from a variety of different lasers.

Short-wavelength UV laser diodes are required for applications ranging from sensing, data storage and materials processing. Here, an electrically driven semiconductor laser that operates at 342.3 nm, the shortest wavelength so far, is reported. The device emits milliwatt-scale powers at room temperature when driven by pulsed current.

Frequency mixing the fundamental-and second-harmonic fields of an ultrafast laser in any one of a number of materials can generate radiation at terahertz frequencies. A better understanding of this process leads to a brighter source of light at these very useful wavelengths.

Free-electron lasers can produce powerful pulses of radiation at very short wavelengths, even in the hard-X-ray region. In general, however, they comprise facilities several kilometres in length. A 55-m-long laser could open up the technology to a broader range of researchers.

Several technologies have been invented as alternatives to the LCD, which transmits only a small portion of the backlight. Now researchers have come up with a display involving a telescopic pixel design, which can transmit 36% of the backlight. The eventual result could be large, bright displays that offer higher contrast at a low cost.