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Sustaining the ongoing revolution in optical microscopy will require gaining detailed insight into the optical fields in focal spots. Researchers have developed an elegant method for mapping the full electric vector field using just a metal nanosphere on a glass substrate.
DNA tethers guide the self-assembly of colloidal metal nanoparticles into three-dimensional optical metamaterials. The observation of epsilon-near-zero behaviour in nanoparticle-based materials indicates that bottom-up assembly may be a viable solution to current challenges in the manufacture of metamaterials.
Tuning the luminescence lifetimes of upconversion nanocrystals through lanthanide doping provides new opportunities for optical multiplexing in the time domain for applications in imaging and security marking.
Efficient photocatalytic splitting of water to realize carbon-free production of hydrogen from sunlight remains a challenge. New precious-metal-free molecular catalysts in semiconductor-based, visible-light-driven water-splitting systems are promising for realizing practical artificial photosynthesis.
The experimental observation of topologically protected photonic edge transport in a silicon chip paves the way to realizing unprecedented control of light using synthetic magnetic fields and opens up new approaches for optical information processing.
The integrated optical components used for optical data transmission are technically complex. To keep pace with the exponential growth in communication traffic, researchers are exploring every potential avenue for inexpensively enhancing device performance.
Squeezed light allows quantum limits to be overcome in precision metrology. A new way of producing this special form of light has now been demonstrated by engineering the vibrations of nanostructured optical cavities.
The Italian free-electron laser, FERMI, now generates coherent soft X-rays in the water window (2.3–4.4 nm) by two-stage frequency upconversion of ultraviolet seed laser pulses using the 'fresh bunch' technique.
Massive objects in space act as gravitational lenses, bending and focusing light. Scientists have now created a photonic analogue of a gravitational lens on a chip, and have shown that it is strong enough to force light into orbits.
The development of hydrogel patches that both guide light and accommodate optogenetic cells could usher in a new breed of implantable systems for in-body optical sensing and therapy.
A pulling force can be generated via amplification of the photon linear momentum when a fairly uniform light field passes from one dielectric to another with a higher refractive index. This force can drag small objects over macroscopic distances along dielectric interfaces.
Vertically aligned nanowires on a solid surface in conjunction with table-top lasers create an ultrahigh-energy-density plasma with extremely high ionization in the laboratory.
Researchers show that the breakdown of temporal coherence in a fibre laser has strong similarities with the onset of turbulence in fluids. Establishing a conceptual connection between these different systems can offer new perspectives for both fields.
Inertial fusion energy is one potential path towards realizing sustainable energy. The development of a laser power plant capable of delivering high-energy laser pulses is crucial for realizing laser-driven inertial fusion energy.
