Applied optics articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Chiral mode converters are found in a wide range of practical applications in optics, but the previous proposals suffer from low efficiency and large device size. Here the authors propose a highly efficient and compact chiral mode converter based on encircling exceptional points along Hamiltonian parameter space boundary, relaxing the adiabaticity constraints.

    • Xiaoqian Shu
    • , Aodong Li
    •  & Lin Chen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    It remains challenging to realize narrowband filters needed for high-performance communications systems using integrated photonics. Using a multi-port Brillouin-based optomechanical system, the authors demonstrate an ultra-narrowband notch filter with high rejection with CMOS compatible techniques.

    • Shai Gertler
    • , Nils T. Otterstrom
    •  & Peter T. Rakich

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Electro-optic modulator is used to encode electrical signals onto light. Here the authors demonstrate an electro-optic modulator, based on Silicon Carbide, which can be useful for quantum and optical communications.

    • Keith Powell
    • , Liwei Li
    •  & Xiaoke Yi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Though strong-field induced carrier excitation allows for exploring ultrafast electronic properties of a material, characterizing post-excitation dynamics is a challenge. Here, the authors report linear petahertz photoconductive sampling in a solid and use it to real-time probe conduction band electron motion.

    • M. Ossiander
    • , K. Golyari
    •  & M. Schultze

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here, the authors demonstrate high-speed imaging through multimode optical fibers by using the high intermodal dispersion to transform 2D spatial information into 1D temporal pulsed signal streams. Deep learning is used to reconstruct the images of micron-scale objects at high frame rates.

    • Zhoutian Liu
    • , Lele Wang
    •  & Qirong Xiao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The authors observe efficient Brillouin scattering generated by an evanescent field nearby a single pass sub-wavelength waveguide. This work creates an important bridge between Brillouin scattering in waveguides, Brillouin spectroscopy and microscopy.

    • Fan Yang
    • , Flavien Gyger
    •  & Luc Thévenaz

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Stereolithography has progressed over the years but resolution and feature size is still limited by the properties of materials and resins. Here, the authors demonstrate femtosecond laser direct writing of a hydrogen silsesquioxane photoresist using a 780 nm femtosecond laser demonstrating feature sizes of 26 nm.

    • Feng Jin
    • , Jie Liu
    •  & Xuan-Ming Duan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Kerr frequency combs are a promising laser source for future optical networks. The authors demonstrate coherence-cloning between two remote Kerr combs and improve optical coherent communication in terms of performance, power consumption, and simplicity.

    • Yong Geng
    • , Heng Zhou
    •  & Kun Qiu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The authors present a simple yet effective solution to dramatically boost the performances of an upconversion imaging system, which leads to unprecedented mid-infrared imaging features with large field of view, single-photon sensitivity and a MHz-level frame rate.

    • Kun Huang
    • , Jianan Fang
    •  & Heping Zeng

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The authors introduce an accurate, fast and efficient technique to analyze sensory data. They use a continuous wavelet transform concept to look for certain patterns in noisy raw data. The superiority of this approach is demonstrated with fluorescence signals from a chip-based, optofluidic single particle sensor.

    • Vahid Ganjalizadeh
    • , Gopikrishnan G. Meena
    •  & Holger Schmidt

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The authors report nonlinear interference changes with shaping block length, modulation symbol rate, and chromatic dispersion when sphere-shaped lightwaves propagate through optical fibre, and suggest a method to predict that change.

    • Junho Cho
    • , Xi Chen
    •  & Robert Tkach

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The authors present a novel all-in-one optoelectronic logic gates based on the bipolar spectral photo-response characteristics of self-powered perovskite photodetector. Five representative logic gates are demonstrated with only a single detector via photocurrent polarity control.

    • Woochul Kim
    • , Hyeonghun Kim
    •  & Yusin Pak

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Operando tracking the ion dynamics/states of battery is critical to understanding of electrolyte-electrode interactions. Here the authors propose to use the surface plasmon waves to rapidly screen localized electrochemical events on a sub-μm-scale thickness adjacent to the electrode interface, without perturbing battery operation.

    • Runlin Wang
    • , Haozhe Zhang
    •  & Tuan Guo

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Precision measurement plays an important role in frequency metrology and optical communications. Here the authors compare two geographically separate ultrastable lasers at 7 × 10−17 fractional frequency instability over a 2220 km optical fibre link and these measurements can be useful for dissemination of ultrastable light to distant optical clocks.

    • M. Schioppo
    • , J. Kronjäger
    •  & G. Grosche

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The understanding of the topological properties of light is at the base of the future optical devices development. In this work the authors aim to suggesting a different paradigm for topological transport and manipulation of nonparaxial light, paving the way toward the new developments in the field of topological photonics

    • Qingqing Cheng
    • , Huaiqiang Wang
    •  & Yiming Pan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Although conventional optical physical unclonable functions (PUFs) are attractive for security applications, existing optical PUFs have inherent complexity. Here, the authors report a low-cost, lens-free and compact optical PUF that uses silk microfiber-based stochastic diffraction.

    • Min Seok Kim
    • , Gil Ju Lee
    •  & Young Min Song

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Exploiting technologies derived from the optical clocks community, the authors demonstrate a setup for twin-field QKD which extends the coherence times by three orders of magnitude, overcoming the main challenge towards real-world implementation.

    • Cecilia Clivati
    • , Alice Meda
    •  & Davide Calonico

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Though theory suggests that highly energy efficient optical neural networks (ONNs) based on optical matrix-vector multipliers are possible, an experimental validation is lacking. Here, the authors report an ONN with >90% accuracy image classification using <1 detected photon per scalar multiplication.

    • Tianyu Wang
    • , Shi-Yuan Ma
    •  & Peter L. McMahon

  • Article
    | Open Access

    What are the minimal hardware requirements for a given class of sensing problems? Here, authors investigate this while proposing a miniaturized near-infrared spectral sensor, based on an array of resonant-cavity enhanced photodetectors, and capable of operating without the need for spectral reconstruction.

    • Kaylee D. Hakkel
    • , Maurangelo Petruzzella
    •  & Andrea Fiore

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The combination of superconducting nanowire single photon detectors and electro-optically reconfigurable circuits in a cryogenic environment is notoriously difficult to reach. Here, the authors realise this on a Lithium-Niobate-On-Insulator platform, reaching high speed modulation at a frequency up to 1 GHz.

    • Emma Lomonte
    • , Martin A. Wolff
    •  & Francesco Lenzini

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here, the authors present Synthetic Wavelength Holography, an approach for Non-Line-of-Sight imaging. By exploiting spectral correlations in scattered light, the authors transform real world surfaces such as walls or scatterers into High-Resolution, Wide-Field-of-View imaging portals that provide holograms of objects obscured from view.

    • Florian Willomitzer
    • , Prasanna V. Rangarajan
    •  & Oliver Cossairt

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Chip-based architectures for mid-infrared gas sensing could enable many applications. In this direction, the authors demonstrate a microcomb-based dual-comb spectroscopy sensor with GHz resolution in the mid-IR band, with stability completely determined by a single high-Q microresonator.

    • Chengying Bao
    • , Zhiquan Yuan
    •  & Kerry J. Vahala

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Non-line-of-sight imaging can recover the 3D geometry of hidden objects, but is limited by weak multibounce signals. Here, the authors introduce a multipixel time-of-flight NLOS imaging approach, combining array detectors and a fast algorithm, for live reconstruction of natural nonretroreflective objects.

    • Ji Hyun Nam
    • , Eric Brandt
    •  & Andreas Velten

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Tracking of nanoparticle dynamics in solution often require labelling. Here, the authors use a high-finesse microcavity and simultaneously measure dispersive frequency shifts of three transverse modes, demonstrating 3D tracking of unlabelled single nanospheres, and quantitatively determine their physical properties.

    • Larissa Kohler
    • , Matthias Mader
    •  & David Hunger

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Engineered stop bands to sense an ambient environment can enable many applications. Here, the authors demonstrate well-controlled processes to open high-aspect ratio nanoholes through optical fibre for Bragg gratings in the telecomm spectrum and to enable high-resolution refractive index sensing

    • Keivan Mahmoud Aghdami
    • , Abdullah Rahnama
    •  & Peter R. Herman

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Weak value amplification in a compact format can lead to improved measurement capabilities in practical applications. Here the authors demonstrate weak value amplification in an integrated photonic chip with a multimode interferometer.

    • Meiting Song
    • , John Steinmetz
    •  & Jaime Cardenas

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Two-dimensional antennas that can create and steer narrow beams are of interest for modern communication systems. Here, the authors demonstrate a scalable antenna array design that performs these functions with fewer elements than standard approaches and excited only with peripheral sources.

    • Ayman H. Dorrah
    •  & George V. Eleftheriades

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Generally, wavefronts are measured using angle-based sensors like the Shack-Hartmann sensor. Here, the authors present an angle-sensitive device that uses flat optics integrated on a focal plane array for compact wavefront sensing with improved resolution.

    • Soongyu Yi
    • , Jin Xiang
    •  & Zongfu Yu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Spatial light modulators (SLM) provide tailored light fields for many applications. Here, the authors present an SLM device based on an organic electro-optic material that manipulates the properties of individual pixels by electronic signals at speeds up to 50 MHz.

    • Ileana-Cristina Benea-Chelmus
    • , Maryna L. Meretska
    •  & Federico Capasso

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Nonreciprocal devices are crucial in scientific research and practical applications at all frequencies. Here the authors demonstrate an integrated terahertz optical isolator based on the magneto-optical effect in a nonreciprocal resonator.

    • Shixing Yuan
    • , Liao Chen
    •  & Xinliang Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The limit of X-ray detection is an important figure of merit for X-ray detectors, yet the suitability of method adopted from Currie’s 1968 paper and the following international standard is in doubt. Here, the authors propose a statistical model that correlates dark current and photo-current, show how it can be used to determine detection limit.

    • Lei Pan
    • , Shreetu Shrestha
    •  & Lei R. Cao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Graphene-based photodetectors have many advantages for applications. Here, the authors demonstrate a high-speed optical coherent receiver for optical communications based on graphene-on-plasmonic slot waveguide photodetectors.

    • Yilun Wang
    • , Xiang Li
    •  & Xinliang Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLCs) have faster optical response times than nematic crystals, but they are also less robust to external shock. Here the authors develop an FLC geometry that reduces the sensitivity to external disruption through self-healing, making them more stable for applications.

    • Peter J. M. Wyatt
    • , James Bailey
    •  & J. Cliff Jones

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In this work the authors demonstrate on-chip integration of Brillouin lasing operating at visible wavelengths, with engineered design for stable output. This technical and scientific advance will help develop integrated light sources for quantum computing or atomic and molecular spectroscopy.

    • Nitesh Chauhan
    • , Andrei Isichenko
    •  & Daniel J. Blumenthal

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Conventional DC-DC converters rely on switching operations and energy storing components which face both noise and scaling difficulties. Here, the authors present an alternative design for a DC-to-DC converter based on closely coupled LEDs and photovoltaic cells, which exhibits high efficiency, low noise, and miniaturizability.

    • Bo Zhao
    • , Sid Assawaworrarit
    •  & Shanhui Fan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Semiconductor surface states often stand in the way of device performance, but here, the authors take advantage of them for wavelength conversion. They present a compact, passive conversion device insensitive to optical alignment by using plasmon-coupled surface states that enable the efficient conversion without nonlinear phenomena.

    • Deniz Turan
    • , Ping Keng Lu
    •  & Mona Jarrahi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Coherent conversion between optical and microwave photonics is needed for future quantum applications. Here, the authors combine thin-film lithium niobate and superconductor platforms as a hybrid electro-optic system to achieve high-efficiency frequency conversion between microwave and optical modes.

    • Yuntao Xu
    • , Ayed Al Sayem
    •  & Hong X. Tang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Photonics-based radars offer intriguing potential but face tradeoffs in tunability, complexity, and noise. Here the authors present microwave generation in a photonics platform by heterodyning of two low-noise, self-injection-locked lasers, and demonstrate its advantages in an FMCW radar system.

    • Eric A. Kittlaus
    • , Danny Eliyahu
    •  & Siamak Forouhar

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