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News & Views |
Electroshock tuning of photonic crystals
Photonic crystals with optical bandgaps across the entire visible spectrum are generated by reconfiguring three-dimensional blue phase liquid crystalline lattices into long-lived metastable non-cubic structures using sequences of electric pulses.
- Slobodan Žumer
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Letter |
Ultrafast pyroelectric photodetection with on-chip spectral filters
The ultrafast response of a pyroelectric sensor with near-infrared responsivity is demonstrated by combining a pyroelectric thermal detector with wavelength-selective nanoparticle absorbers.
- Jon W. Stewart
- , Jarrett H. Vella
- & Maiken H. Mikkelsen
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Article |
Reconfiguration of three-dimensional liquid-crystalline photonic crystals by electrostriction
Repetitive electrical pulse stimulation of blue-phase liquid crystals promotes their reconfiguration into stable non-cubic structures with promising electro-optical responses for display technologies.
- Duan-Yi Guo
- , Chun-Wei Chen
- & Tsung-Hsien Lin
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News & Views |
Lasing under ultralow pumping
Ultralow-threshold plasmonic lasers under continuous-wave pumping at room temperature have been created using lattice plasmonic cavities integrated with gain material consisting of upconverting nanoparticles.
- Ren-Min Ma
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Letter |
A window to trap-free charge transport in organic semiconducting thin films
Water clusters induce hole traps in organic semiconductor thin films. Detrimental effects of hole and electron traps on charge transport can be avoided by using materials with ionization energy and electron affinity within an energy window of 2.4 eV.
- Naresh B. Kotadiya
- , Anirban Mondal
- & Gert-Jan A. H. Wetzelaer
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Letter |
Ultralow-threshold, continuous-wave upconverting lasing from subwavelength plasmons
Plasmonic array nanolasers with Yb3+/Er3+-co-doped upconverting nanoparticles exhibit directional single-mode emission, with ultra-stable output over hours and with ultralow-threshold under continuous-wave pumping.
- Angel Fernandez-Bravo
- , Danqing Wang
- & Teri W. Odom
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Letter |
Valley-dependent exciton fine structure and Autler–Townes doublets from Berry phases in monolayer MoSe2
Due to the crystal symmetry of single-layer transition metal dichalcogenides and the fact that the conduction and valence band edges are at the zone-edge K points, the 2p exciton states are split. A two-colour pump–probe scheme is used to drive the 1s–2p exciton transition, and then probe the changes in absorption near the spectral position of the 1s line to measure the splitting energy.
- Chaw-Keong Yong
- , M. Iqbal Bakti Utama
- & Feng Wang
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Review Article |
Electron-beam spectroscopy for nanophotonics
Spatially resolved electron microscopy techniques, such as cathodoluminescence and electron energy-loss spectroscopy can provide high space, energy and time resolutions for the structural and optical characterization of materials; this Review discusses recent progress and future directions in the field of nanophotonics.
- Albert Polman
- , Mathieu Kociak
- & F. Javier García de Abajo
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Article |
Spatially dispersive circular photogalvanic effect in a Weyl semimetal
A spatially dispersive photoresponse is found in a topological semimetal.
- Zhurun Ji
- , Gerui Liu
- & Ritesh Agarwal
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Article |
Scalable in operando strain tuning in nanophotonic waveguides enabling three-quantum-dot superradiance
Local tuning of quantum dots embedded in a photonic waveguide can be achieved through the strain produced by laser heating of a thin layer of HfO2 deposited around the waveguide. The method is exploited to tune three quantum dots in resonance.
- Joel Q. Grim
- , Allan S. Bracker
- & Daniel Gammon
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Article |
High-resolution remote thermometry and thermography using luminescent low-dimensional tin-halide perovskites
Low-dimensional tin-halide perovskites exhibit strong temperature dependence of luminescence decay time that translates into high sensitivity over a wide range of temperatures and as such can be used in high-resolution remote thermography.
- Sergii Yakunin
- , Bogdan M. Benin
- & Maksym V. Kovalenko
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Review Article |
Nanophotonic engineering of far-field thermal emitters
This Review covers the basic physics of thermal emission, ways to engineer the thermal field radiated by hot objects in the far field and applications, such as thermophotovoltaics, radiative cooling, camouflage and privacy.
- Denis G. Baranov
- , Yuzhe Xiao
- & Mikhail A. Kats
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Review Article |
Droplet epitaxy of semiconductor nanostructures for quantum photonic devices
The droplet epitaxy technique has emerged as an alternative to the most commonly used Stranski–Krastanov for fabricating semiconductor nanostructures. This Review discusses the important aspects of droplet epitaxy quantum dots, from the growth mechanism to device application.
- Massimo Gurioli
- , Zhiming Wang
- & Stefano Sanguinetti
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Article |
Ultrafast generation and control of an electron vortex beam via chiral plasmonic near fields
By exciting chiral plasmons within a nanohole by means of circularly polarized light pulses, orbital angular momentum can be imparted onto charged matter waves (here, electrons) and controlled at terahertz speed (femtosecond intervals).
- G. M. Vanacore
- , G. Berruto
- & F. Carbone
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Article |
Deterministic optical control of room temperature multiferroicity in BiFeO3 thin films
The remote, non-volatile and reversible optical control of ferroic orders is challenging. Here, using laser illumination, multiple orders in epitaxial mixed-phase BiFeO3 are manipulated deterministically using a thermally driven flexoelectric effect.
- Yi-De Liou
- , Yu-You Chiu
- & Jan-Chi Yang
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Article |
Site-selective CO disproportionation mediated by localized surface plasmon resonance excited by electron beam
Plasmonic catalysis is believed to be mediated by energy transfer from nanoparticles to adsorbed molecules. Localized surface plasmon resonance on gold nanoparticles excited by electron beam is shown to drive site-selective CO disproportionation at room temperature.
- Wei-Chang D. Yang
- , Canhui Wang
- & Renu Sharma
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Letter |
Emissive and charge-generating donor–acceptor interfaces for organic optoelectronics with low voltage losses
Charge-transfer states with comparable recombination and charge-splitting rates are shown to be a key ingredient for donor–acceptor organic blends that perform well in both light-emitting and photovoltaic applications.
- Sascha Ullbrich
- , Johannes Benduhn
- & Koen Vandewal
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Review Article |
Extreme nanophotonics from ultrathin metallic gaps
This Review discusses the origins of localized plasmon resonances in few-nanometre or sub-nanometre gaps between metal nanoparticles and metal films, as well recent experimental observations and potential future directions.
- Jeremy J. Baumberg
- , Javier Aizpurua
- & David R. Smith
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News & Views |
Lighting up the new order
Irradiating a PbTiO3/SrTiO3 superlattice with ultrafast UV light pulses modifies elastic and electrostatic interactions, resulting in the formation of a stable complex 3D supercrystal.
- J. M. Gregg
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Article |
Optical creation of a supercrystal with three-dimensional nanoscale periodicity
Upon ultrafast irradiation, a (PbTiO3)/(SrTiO3) superlattice transforms into a complex supercrystal that contains periodicities of up to 30 nm in size and is stable in ambient. Creation and destruction, by heating, of the supercrystal is reversible.
- V. A. Stoica
- , N. Laanait
- & J. W. Freeland
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News & Views |
Quantum nonlinearities at the single-particle level
A hybrid state of photons and electronic excitations in semiconductor quantum wells shows nonlinear behaviour at the level of single or few quanta, thus opening the door to the realization of photonic nonlinear quantum devices employing semiconductor technologies.
- Dario Gerace
- , Fabrice Laussy
- & Daniele Sanvitto
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News & Views |
Lasers that shine brighter
A photonic crystal design, consisting of two separated lattices arranged in a specific way, forms the base of high-brightness semiconductor lasers, with a very narrow beam divergence angle.
- L. Kuipers
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Article |
Asymmetrically strained quantum dots with non-fluctuating single-dot emission spectra and subthermal room-temperature linewidths
Asymmetric strain intrinsic to core/shell nanocrystals based on lattice-mismatched wurtzite semiconductors leads to suppression of spectral fluctuation, narrowing of photoluminescence linewidth and reduced blinking in colloidal nanocrystals.
- Young-Shin Park
- , Jaehoon Lim
- & Victor I. Klimov
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Article |
Double-lattice photonic-crystal resonators enabling high-brightness semiconductor lasers with symmetric narrow-divergence beams
An optimized design for a broad-area surface-emitting photonic-crystal laser leads to high brightness of over 300 MW cm–2 sr–1 and an output power of 10 W under pulsed excitation.
- Masahiro Yoshida
- , Menaka De Zoysa
- & Susumu Noda
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News & Views |
Strong Pockels materials
Electro-optic modulators based on epitaxial barium titanate integrated on silicon can reach speeds up to 50 Gbit s–1.
- Mo Li
- & Hong X. Tang
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Article |
Thermal meta-device in analogue of zero-index photonics
In this type of thermal cloak, when a fluid circulates around the object of interest, the temperature perturbation is minimized as the effective thermal conductivity of the fluid becomes very high due to convective effects.
- Ying Li
- , Ke-Jia Zhu
- & C.-W. Qiu
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Article |
Large Pockels effect in micro- and nanostructured barium titanate integrated on silicon
Electro-optic modulators based on epitaxial barium titanate (BTO) integrated on silicon exhibit speeds up to 50 Gbit s–1 while the Pockels coefficient of the BTO film is found to be approaching the bulk value.
- Stefan Abel
- , Felix Eltes
- & Jean Fompeyrine
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Article |
Efficient electrical detection of mid-infrared graphene plasmons at room temperature
A system of patterned graphene nanoresonators/nanoribbons can be used as an efficient mid-infrared detector, based on plasmonic resonant absorption and subsequent carrier thermalization.
- Qiushi Guo
- , Renwen Yu
- & Fengnian Xia
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Letter |
Simultaneous coherence enhancement of optical and microwave transitions in solid-state electronic spins
Long coherence times in a subset of states that allows for transitions in both microwave and optical range have been reported using an isotopically purified 171Yb3+:Y2SiO5 crystal, rendering the system suitable for quantum information applications.
- Antonio Ortu
- , Alexey Tiranov
- & Mikael Afzelius
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Article |
Impacts of surface depletion on the plasmonic properties of doped semiconductor nanocrystals
Degenerately doped semiconductor nanocrystals exhibit localized surface plasmon resonance in the infrared. Semiconducting properties such as band structure modification due to doping and surface states are now shown to strongly affect plasmonic modulation.
- Omid Zandi
- , Ankit Agrawal
- & Delia J. Milliron
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Perspective |
Carbon nanotubes as emerging quantum-light sources
This Perspective describes the recent advances in understanding and controlling the properties of single-wall carbon nanotubes as well as the progress towards the fabrication of new electrically driven single-photon sources.
- X. He
- , H. Htoon
- & C. Voisin
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Article |
Fully textured monolithic perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells with 25.2% power conversion efficiency
An optimized two-step deposition process allows the formation of uniform layers of metal halide perovskites on textured silicon layers, enabling tandem silicon/perovskite solar cells with improved optical design and efficiency.
- Florent Sahli
- , Jérémie Werner
- & Christophe Ballif
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Letter |
Terahertz-light quantum tuning of a metastable emergent phase hidden by superconductivity
THz pump–probe experiments of superconducting Nb3Sn reveal that a metastable phase is induced for excitation fields around 250 kV cm−1.
- X. Yang
- , C. Vaswani
- & J. Wang
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Perspective |
Materials challenges for the Starshot lightsail
This Perspective explores the optical, mechanical and thermal properties required to successfully design an ultralight spacecraft that can reach Proxima Centauri b, which is the goal of the Starshot Breakthrough Initiative.
- Harry A. Atwater
- , Artur R. Davoyan
- & Joeson Wong
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Feature |
The influence of the Rashba effect
Heavy atoms and crystal or inversion symmetry breaking may promote Rashba effects in halide perovskites. Sam Stranks and Paulina Plochocka propose experiments to assess the existence of these effects and their implications on the photophysics of perovskites.
- Samuel D. Stranks
- & Paulina Plochocka
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News & Views |
Virtues of defects
Defects in mercury telluride quantum dots can be exploited to achieve amplified spontaneous emission under continuous-wave optical pumping at ultralow power levels.
- Frank Wise
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Article |
Topological order and thermal equilibrium in polariton condensates
The Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless transition is observed in a 2D gas of exciton-polaritons, through measurements of the first-order coherence both in space and time.
- Davide Caputo
- , Dario Ballarini
- & Daniele Sanvitto
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News & Views |
Electrifying quantum dots for lasers
Compositional grading of colloidal quantum dots enables electrically driven amplification of light, bringing electrically driven lasers from these materials very close.
- Ifor Samuel
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Article |
Optical gain in colloidal quantum dots achieved with direct-current electrical pumping
Core/shell type-I semiconductor nanocrystals with compositionally graded shell and embedded in a current-focusing device architecture reach population inversion, a condition required for lasing, when excited with direct current.
- Jaehoon Lim
- , Young-Shin Park
- & Victor I. Klimov
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Article |
Realizing the classical XY Hamiltonian in polariton simulators
Lattices of exciton-polariton condensates provide the base for a simulator that can be used to find the global minimum of the classical XY Hamiltonian.
- Natalia G. Berloff
- , Matteo Silva
- & Pavlos G. Lagoudakis
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Article |
Resolving ultrafast exciton migration in organic solids at the nanoscale
Time-resolved ultrafast spectroscopy is combined with stimulated emission depletion microscopy to observe exciton migration in conjugated polymer films with nanometre and picosecond resolution.
- Samuel B. Penwell
- , Lucas D. S. Ginsberg
- & Naomi S. Ginsberg
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Letter |
Mott transition by an impulsive dielectric breakdown
Irradiation with a strong terahertz electric-field pulse is found to induce a Mott transition in an organic molecular compound. The metallization is attributed to an impulsive dielectric breakdown.
- H. Yamakawa
- , T. Miyamoto
- & H. Okamoto
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Article |
The processing and heterostructuring of silk with light
Femtosecond laser pulses can induce local bulging or plasma ablation of silk with limited structural damage, thus offering a technique for cutting, patterning, bending and welding of silk with various other materials.
- Mehra S. Sidhu
- , Bhupesh Kumar
- & Kamal P. Singh
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News & Views |
Here comes the spaser
Plasmonic nanolasers embedded in living cells and animal tissues are shown to emit strongly, making them promising potential biocompatible probes.
- Catherine Alix-Panabières
- & Klaus Pantel
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News & Views |
Wiry matter–light coupling
Electrical injection into polaritons, built from admixing excitons in carbon nanotubes with light in a surrounding microcavity, has been achieved.
- Jeremy J. Baumberg
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Article |
Electrical pumping and tuning of exciton-polaritons in carbon nanotube microcavities
The exciton-polaritons formed using carbon nanotube field-effect transistors strongly coupled to an optical microcavity can sustain electrical pumping under high current densities.
- Arko Graf
- , Martin Held
- & Jana Zaumseil
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Article |
Excitation-wavelength-dependent small polaron trapping of photoexcited carriers in α-Fe2O3
The effect of polaron formation on photoconversion efficiency for oxide photocatalysts is not well known. Femtosecond extreme-ultraviolet measurements suggest that polaron localization is responsible for ultrafast trapping of photoexcited carriers in haematite.
- Lucas M. Carneiro
- , Scott K. Cushing
- & Stephen R. Leone
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Article |
Charge-transfer dynamics and nonlocal dielectric permittivity tuned with metamaterial structures as solvent analogues
Charge-transfer dynamics in organic semiconductors are shown to be altered by multi-layered hyperbolic metamaterial substrates, an effect linked to the number of metal–dielectric pairs used.
- Kwang Jin Lee
- , Yiming Xiao
- & Pascal André
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News & Views |
Achieving long phonon lifetimes
Spectral hole burning is now demonstrated with phonons in amorphous systems, leading to highly reduced phonon dissipation and, therefore, long phonon lifetimes.
- Maxim Goryachev
- & Michael E. Tobar
Dimensionally and environmentally ultra-stable polymer composites reinforced with carbon fibres