Review Articles in 2014

Transformation optics is a modern application of Maxwell's equations offering unprecedented control over the flow of light that exploits spatially customized optical properties and mathematical techniques applied to space-time curvature.

The optical properties of graphene and emerging two-dimensional materials including transition metal dichalcogenides are reviewed with an emphasis on nanophotonic applications.

Recent developments in probe-based near-field microscopy are reviewed, including techniques for determining the phase, amplitude and separate components of the electric and magnetic field.

The latest developments in laser miniaturization, including those based on metals and dielectrics, are reviewed and future challenges outlined.

Metamaterials enable the tailoring of properties like dielectric permittivity and magnetic permeability. Electromagnetic excitations of metamaterial constituents and their interactions are reviewed, as well as promising future directions.

Applying the mathematical concept of topology to the wave-vector space of photonics yields exciting opportunities for creating new states of light with useful properties such as unidirectional propagation and the ability to flow around imperfections.

Curious wave phenomena that occur in optical fibres due to the interplay of instability and nonlinear effects are reviewed.

This review article summarizes the emerging field of quantum nonlinear optics. Three major approaches to generate optical nonlinearities based on cavity quantum electrodynamics, atomic ensembles with large Kerr nonlinearities and strong atomic interactions are reviewed. Applications of quantum nonlinear optics and many-body physics with strongly interacting photons are also discussed.

An overview is given of the state-of-the-art research into secure communication based on quantum cryptography. The present security model together with its assumptions, strengths and weaknesses is discussed. Recent experimental progress and remaining challenges are surveyed as are the latest developments in quantum hacking and countermeasures.

Within the space of a few years, hybrid organic–inorganic perovskite solar cells have emerged as one of the most exciting material platforms in the photovoltaic sector. This review describes the rapid progress that has been made in this area.

Recent advances in quantum information transfer by photons are reviewed. The theoretical framework for information transfer between nodes of a quantum network is described, and several key experiments for remote atom–atom entanglement mediated by light are illustrated. The prospects for hybrid systems currently in development are also discussed.

Hollow-core photonic crystal fibres are attractive because they exhibit pressure-adjustable normal or anomalous dispersion, low-loss guidance, very low nonlinearity and high damage threshold. This Review overviews nonlinear optical phenomena in gas-filled, hollow-core photonic crystal fibres that may lead to a new generation of versatile and efficient pulse-compression devices and gas-based light sources.

Attosecond science allows the role of electronic coherence in the control of chemical reactions in molecular systems to be investigated. This article reviews recent activities in attosecond molecular science and identifies some promising directions for further development.

This review discusses significant recent advances in the generation, characterization and application of ultrabroadband isolated attosecond pulses with a spectral bandwidth comparable to the central frequency, which can in principle be compressed to a single optical cycle.

Attosecond light pulses are used for ultrahigh-resolution observations of ultrafast phenomena in atoms, molecules and condensed matter. Measuring the durations of such pulses is challenging because the spectrum lies in the vacuum ultraviolet or soft-X-ray range. This article reviews and compares two methods — photoionization and photorecombination — for measuring the duration of attosecond pulses.

This article reviews the basic concepts underlying attosecond measurement and control techniques. Emphasis is given to exploring the fundamental speed limit of electronic signal processing that employs ultimate-speed electron metrology provided by attosecond technology.

Optical generation of hot electrons in metallic structures and its potential as an alternative to conventional electron–hole separation in semiconductor devices are reviewed. The possibilities for realizing high conversion efficiencies with low fabrication costs are discussed along with challenges in terms of the materials, architectures and fabrication methods