Applied optics articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Improving the image depth perception of holograms while maintaining high image quality is a current challenge. Here the authors propose an efficient solution relying on a multi-plane hologram technique that reconstruct different blurred images and sharply focused images depending on a propagation distance.

    • Daeho Yang
    • , Wontaek Seo
    •  & Hong-Seok Lee

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The use of light in driving the magnetization of materials has great technological potential, as well as allowing for insights into the fast dynamics of magnetic systems. Here, the authors combine CrI3, a van der Waals magnet, with WSe2, and demonstrate all optical switching of the resulting heterostructure.

    • Maciej Da̧browski
    • , Shi Guo
    •  & Robert J. Hicken

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Developing longwave infrared technology hide intrinsic challenges but at the same time is important to develop sensing and imaging for detection, ranging, and monitoring systems. Here the authors demonstrate the fabrication of high-quality microresonators in the LWIR with the simple use of native germanium.

    • Dingding Ren
    • , Chao Dong
    •  & David Burghoff

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The challenge of high-speed and high-accuracy coherent photonic neurons for deep learning applications lies to solve noise related issues. Here, Mourgias-Alexandris et al. address this problem by introducing a noise-resilient hardware architectural and a deep learning training platform.

    • G. Mourgias-Alexandris
    • , M. Moralis-Pegios
    •  & N. Pleros

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Low modulus materials that can change shape in response to external stimuli are promising for a wide range of applications. The authors here introduce a shape-reprogrammable construct, based on liquid metal microfluidic networks and electromagnetic actuation, that supports a unique collection of capabilities.

    • Xinchen Ni
    • , Haiwen Luan
    •  & John A. Rogers

  • Article
    | Open Access

    On-Chip integration of laser systems led to impressive development in many field of application like LIDAR or AR/VR to cite a few. Here the authors harness Pockels effect in an integrated semiconductor platform achieving fast on-chip configurability of a narrow linewidth laser.

    • Mingxiao Li
    • , Lin Chang
    •  & Qiang Lin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    A mechanically compliant and robust sensing material is essential for accurate and reliable thermal sensing. Here, the authors report the use of elastic organic crystals as fluorescence-based thermal sensors that cover a wide range of temperatures with complete retention of the sensor’s elasticity.

    • Qi Di
    • , Liang Li
    •  & Hongyu Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Laser probing of integrated circuits using sub-bandgap photon energies remains a challenge. Here, the authors propose a super-resolution method capable of achieving probe placement accuracy to better than 10 nm; extraction of electro-optic waveforms from a node of a group of transistors and applied this to isolate and identify a fault on a defective device.

    • V. K. Ravikumar
    • , Jiann Min Chin
    •  & Joel K. W. Yang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Continuous-variable QKD protocols are usually easier to implement than discrete-variables ones, but their security analyses are less developed. Here, the authors propose and demonstrate in the lab a CVQKD protocol that can generate composable keys secure against collective attacks.

    • Nitin Jain
    • , Hou-Man Chin
    •  & Ulrik L. Andersen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here, the authors demonstrate a chip-scale device that realizes a comprehensive set of resonant second order nonlinear processes including optical parametric oscillation with a threshold power of 70 microwatts.

    • Timothy P. McKenna
    • , Hubert S. Stokowski
    •  & Amir H. Safavi-Naeini

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Full tomography of biphoton frequency comb states requires frequency mixing operations which are hard to scale. Here, the authors propose and demonstrate a protocol exploiting advanced Bayesian statistical methods and randomized measurements coming from complex mode mixing in electro-optic phase modulators.

    • Hsuan-Hao Lu
    • , Karthik V. Myilswamy
    •  & Joseph M. Lukens

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here, the authors develop a UV-compatible photonic integrated circuit for structured illumination microscopy on a conventional wide-field microscope. Operating at a wavelength of 360 nm, they generate switchable far-field fringe patterns, and demonstrate autofluorescence imaging of yeast cells.

    • Chupao Lin
    • , Juan Santo Domingo Peñaranda
    •  & Nicolas Le Thomas

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The work harnesses principles of spatial state tomography to fully characterise an optical beam in space, time, spectrum, and polarisation. Analysis of the output of a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser illustrates the technique’s capabilities.

    • Martin Plöschner
    • , Marcos Maestre Morote
    •  & Joel Carpenter

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The authors fabricate a 3D achromatic diffractive metalens on the end face of a single-mode fiber, useful for endoscopic applications. They demonstrate achromatic and polarization insensitive focusing across the entire near-infrared telecommunication wavelength band ranging from 1.25 to 1.65 µm.

    • Haoran Ren
    • , Jaehyuck Jang
    •  & Stefan A. Maier

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Artificial muscle actuators enabled by responsive functional materials like shape memory alloys are promising candidates for compact e-wearable devices. Here, authors demonstrate augmented reality glasses and two-way communication haptic gloves capable of image depth control and immersive tactile response.

    • Dongjin Kim
    • , Baekgyeom Kim
    •  & Je-Sung Koh

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Continuous spectral translation could allow expansion of the bandwidth available for communication without having to develop transceivers for the new bands. Here, the authors demonstrate this using AlGaAsOI nanowaveguides as spectral translators between the mature telecom C band and the 2-μm wavelength band.

    • Deming Kong
    • , Yong Liu
    •  & Hao Hu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    While most of the structural colored materials only present isotropic colors, limiting their functions and many practical applications, while realizing anisotropic structural color materials remains challenging. Here, the authors develop a freeze-derived heterogeneous structural color hydrogels for information encryption and decryption.

    • Shuangshuang Miao
    • , Yu Wang
    •  & Yuanjin Zhao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mid-infrared photonic integrated circuits (PICs) are important for sensing and optical communications, but their operational wavelengths are usually limited below 4 μm. Here, the authors report the realization of photothermoelectric graphene photodetectors incorporated in a chalcogenide glass-on-CaF2 PIC operating at 5.2 μm, showing promising results for gas sensing applications.

    • Jordan Goldstein
    • , Hongtao Lin
    •  & Dirk Englund

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Infrared spectroscopy with plasmonic nanoantennas is limited by small overlap between molecules and hot spots, and sharp resonance peaks. The authors demonstrate spectral multiplexing of hook nanoantennas with gradient dimensions as ultrasensitive vibrational probes in a continuous ultra-broadband region and utilize machine learning for enhanced sensing performance.

    • Zhihao Ren
    • , Zixuan Zhang
    •  & Chengkuo Lee

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Stable and tunable integrated lasers are fundamental building blocks for applications from spectroscopy to imaging and communication. Here the authors present a narrow linewidth hybrid photonic integrated laser with low frequency noise and fast linear wavelength tuning. They then provide an efficient FMCW LIDAR demonstration.

    • Grigory Lihachev
    • , Johann Riemensberger
    •  & Tobias J. Kippenberg

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Integrated polarization-sensitive photodetectors are important for sensing applications and optical communication. Here, the authors report the realization of 2D black phosphorus homojunction photodetectors defined by ferroelectric substrates, showing polarization ratios up to 288 and high responsivity in the near-infrared.

    • Shuaiqin Wu
    • , Yan Chen
    •  & Jianlu Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Photonic integrated systems can be harnessed for fast and efficient optical telecommunication and metrology technologies. Here the authors develop a dual-soliton microcomb technique for massively parallel coherent laser ranging that requires only a single laser and a single photoreceiver.

    • Anton Lukashchuk
    • , Johann Riemensberger
    •  & Tobias J. Kippenberg

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The flow of light in nonlinear media can be considered as superfluid flow and described with quantum hydrodynamics. Here the authors demonstrate superfluid flow, optical rarefaction (retracting piston) and shock (pushing piston) wave pairs and characterize associated phase transitions by using fiber-based platform.

    • Abdelkrim Bendahmane
    • , Gang Xu
    •  & Stefano Trillo

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Active photonics in free space is important in computing, imaging and sensing. Here, hybrid silicon-organic nanoscale structures change the intensity of a free-space light beam by applied microwave signals at gigahertz speeds with a high efficiency.

    • Ileana-Cristina Benea-Chelmus
    • , Sydney Mason
    •  & Federico Capasso

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Although continuous monitoring of tissue oxygenation is critically important after tissue/organ graft procedures, current technologies have key limitations. Here, the authors develop a miniaturized, minimally invasive, self-anchoring optical probe and demonstrate continuous monitoring of oxygenation in porcine flap and organ models.

    • Hexia Guo
    • , Wubin Bai
    •  & John A. Rogers

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Robust and high capacity optical coding will be at the base of future developments of information transfer and storage. Here the authors develop a topological all-optical coding scheme, which possesses good stability and a high capacity, using nested vortex knots and links.

    • Ling-Jun Kong
    • , Weixuan Zhang
    •  & Xiangdong Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mirrors that demonstrate 98% reflectivity and withstand 10 kilowatts of focused continuous-wave laser light are created by nanoscale fabrication of single-crystal diamond. The work finds applications in medicine, defence, industry, and communications.

    • Haig A. Atikian
    • , Neil Sinclair
    •  & Marko Lončar

  • Article
    | Open Access

    A double-layer lens consists of a first gradient-index/geodesic profile in an upper waveguide, partially surrounded by a mirror that reflects the wave into a lower guide where there is a second profile. A family of such lens profiles are derived.

    • Qiao Chen
    • , Simon A. R. Horsley
    •  & Oscar Quevedo–Teruel

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Several challenges still impede the deployment of optical switches in data centers. The authors report an optical switching and control system to synergistically overcome these challenges and provide enhanced performance for data center applications.

    • Xuwei Xue
    •  & Nicola Calabretta

  • Article
    | Open Access

    'Recent developments in spectroscopy have witnessed the establishment of dual-comb techniques. In this work the authors demonstrate dual-comb photothermal spectroscopy providing gas sensing with superfine resolution and high sensitivity

    • Qiang Wang
    • , Zhen Wang
    •  & Wei Ren

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Dual-wavelength emission materials can provide fluorescence intensity ratio technology with self-calibration features; their fabrication however, remains a challenge. Here, authors design a dual-wavelength emitting material Li2ZnSiO4:Mn2+ and present a wearable optical fibre temperature sensor, functioning in both contact and noncontact modes.

    • Enhai Song
    • , Meihua Chen
    •  & Qinyuan Zhang

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