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Volume 2 Issue 8, August 2008

Applications ranging from communications to data processing benefit from the latest slow-light technologies.

Cover design by Tom Wilson.

Editorial

  • 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.

    Editorial

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Commentary

  • 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?

    • Thomas F. Krauss
    Commentary
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Interview

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

    • Rachel Won
    Interview
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Research Highlights

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News & Views

  • 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.

    • Anna Demming
    News & Views
  • 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.

    • Stefan A. Maier
    News & Views
  • 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.

    • Geoff J. Pryde
    News & Views
  • 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.

    • Adela Marian
    • Bretislav Friedrich
    News & Views
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Review Article

  • 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.

    • Toshihiko Baba
    Review Article
  • 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.

    • Luc Thévenaz
    Review Article
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Letter

  • Extracting light from organic LEDs is difficult owing to the refractive index of the materials used, and the output efficiency is typically limited to around 15–20%. By embedding a grid with a low refractive index into the organic layers and using a microlens array researchers have now managed to increase this figure to 34%, representing an improvement by factor of 2.3 over a conventional device.

    • Yiru Sun
    • Stephen R. Forrest
    Letter
  • 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.

    • Anna L. Pyayt
    • Gary K. Starkweather
    • Michael J. Sinclair
    Letter
  • Xiang Zhang and colleagues from the University of California, Berkeley, propose a new approach for confining light on scales much smaller than the wavelength of light. Using hybrid waveguides that incorporate dielectric and plasmonic waveguiding techniques, they are able to confine surface plasmon polaritons very strongly over large distances. The advance could lead to truly nanoscale plasmonics and photonics.

    • R. F. Oulton
    • V. J. Sorger
    • X. Zhang
    Letter
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Article

  • Light is often thought of in terms of radial polarization, but longitudinal polarization is also possible, and it has some intriguing possibilities for particle acceleration. Binary optics, combined with a high-numerical-aperture lens, is a potential route to achieving light with this unusual property.

    • Haifeng Wang
    • Luping Shi
    • Chong Tow Chong
    Article
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Photonics at NPG

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

    Photonics at NPG
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Product Focus

  • 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.

    Product Focus
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Interview

  • 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.

    • Amber Jenkins
    Interview
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In This Issue

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Focus

  • Control over the velocity of light pulses leads to a host of exciting opportunities. In this special issue of Nature Photonics, we present a collection of articles that describe the evolution of the field, the fundamental physics and the different approaches that are developing.

    Focus
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