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Focusing short CO2 laser pulses into air reveals rich ionization physics that is best explained by solid-state theories and results in centimetre-scale-diameter megafilaments that transport joules of energy.
A collection of hot rubidium atoms is shown to exhibit non-reciprocal optical transmission due to the interplay between thermal motion and electromagnetically induced transparency.
Applications for optical fibre sensors have evolved beyond physical measurements in the defence, oil, gas and civil engineering sectors to tackle new opportunities in chemical detection.
A single silicon double injection resonator provides flexible response shapes, large free spectral range and tolerance to temperature deviations and fabrication defects, paving the way for high-performance integrated photonics.
Spatial multiplexing enables the simultaneous generation of several low-noise frequency combs in a single microresonator, promising to enhance a host of applications such as multidimensional coherent spectroscopy.
A boom of activity in the deployment of photonics in space is underway. That was the clear message from this year’s European Conference on Optical Communication in Italy.
The first three-dimensional nonlinear photonic crystals have been constructed thanks to the use of femtosecond laser writing in quadratic nonlinear materials.
Artificial intelligence looks poised to drive the development of software and hardware platforms in the coming decades. In photonics, it is already proving invaluable and is having an impact in the areas of imaging, sensing and communications.
An acoustic wave can induce non-reciprocal light modulation in a silicon waveguide. Now, the acoustic wave has been induced optically in a neighbouring silicon waveguide, opening the way for a silicon-based optical isolator.
The achievement of plasmonic-enhanced silicon-based terahertz emitters and detectors brings hope for the realization of integrated circuits that bring together electronics, photonics and terahertz functions on a single chip.
Exploiting an optical cavity that folds space in time in a conventional lens design provides a novel route for time-resolved imaging and depth sensing.
Individual, light-emitting nanoparticles offer many opportunities for early disease detection. Now, advances towards greatly enhanced brightness are being made using core–multi-shell architectures.
Spin-dependent lateral optical forces, 100,000 times larger than those reported so far, can lead to displacements of centimetre-sized objects observable by the naked eye.
