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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.
This article reviews the underlying physical principles of radiation nanofocusing in metallic nanostructures, and the recent progress, future directions and potential applications of this subfield of nano-optics.
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.
Hyperbolic, or indefinite, metamaterials are reviewed. These anisotropic materials may exhibit properties such as strong enhancement of spontaneous emission, diverging density of states, negative refraction and superlensing.
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.
High-power fibre lasers are in demand for industrial, defence and scientific applications. This review provides an overview of the present state of the art in the field and discusses present challenges and the future outlook.
Ultrafast fibre lasers are an important optical system with industrial, medical and purely scientific applications. Essential components and the operation regimes of ultrafast fibre laser systems are reviewed, as are their use in various applications.
