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    Vol. 6 , Issue 3 , 2017

      Original Articles

    • Radwanul Hasan Siddique,Jan Mertens,Hendrik Hölscher,Silvia Vignolini
      Vol. 6, Issue 3, (2017) DOI: 10.1038/lsa.2017.15
      Abstract:Subwavelength metal-dielectric plasmonic metasurfaces enable light management beyond the diffraction limit. However, a cost-effective and reliable fabrication method for such structures remains a major challenge hindering their full exploitation. Here, we propose a simple yet powerful manufacturing route for plasmonic metasurfaces based on a bottom-up approach. The fabricated metasurfaces consist of a dense distribution of randomly oriented nanoscale scatterers composed of aluminum (Al) nanohole-disk pairs, which exhibit angle-independent scattering that is tunable across the entire visible spectrum. The macroscopic response of the metasurfaces is controlled via the properties of an isolated Al nanohole-disk pair at the nanoscale. In addition, the optical field confinement at the scatterers and their random distribution of sizes result in a strongly enhanced Raman signal that enables broadly tunable excitation using a single substrate. This unique combination of a reliable and lithography-free methodology with the use of aluminum permits the exploitation of the full potential of random plasmonic metasurfaces for diagnostics and coloration.  
      Keywords:aluminum plasmonics;plasmonic metasurfaces;polymer blends;self-assembly;SERS;structural color   
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      Published:2024-09-19
    • Xinghui Yin,Tobias Steinle,Lingling Huang,Thomas Taubner,Matthias Wuttig,Thomas Zentgraf,Harald Giessen
      Vol. 6, Issue 3, (2017) DOI: 10.1038/lsa.2017.16
      Abstract:Compact nanophotonic elements exhibiting adaptable properties are essential components for the miniaturization of powerful optical technologies such as adaptive optics and spatial light modulators. While the larger counterparts typically rely on mechanical actuation, this can be undesirable in some cases on a microscopic scale due to inherent space restrictions. Here, we present a novel design concept for highly integrated active optical components that employs a combination of resonant plasmonic metasurfaces and the phase-change material Ge3Sb2Te6. In particular, we demonstrate beam switching and bifocal lensing, thus, paving the way for a plethora of active optical elements employing plasmonic metasurfaces, which follow the same design principles.  
      Keywords:active;beam-forming;metasurfaces;phase-change material;plasmonics   
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      Published:2024-09-19
    • Chen Yan,Kuang-Yu Yang,Olivier JF Martin
      Vol. 6, Issue 3, (2017) DOI: 10.1038/lsa.2017.17
      Abstract:Controlling the phase of an electromagnetic field using plasmonic nanostructures provides a versatile way to manipulate light at the nanoscale. Broadband phase modulation has been demonstrated using inhomogeneous metasurfaces with different geometries; however, for many applications such as filtering, hyperspectral imaging and color holography, narrowband frequecy selectivity is a key functionality. In this work, we demonstrate, both theoretically and experimentally, a narrowband metasurface that relies on Fano resonances to control the propagation of light. By geometrically tuning the sub-radiant modes with respect to a fixed super-radiant resonance, we can create a phase modulation along the surface within a narrow spectral range. The resulting anomalous reflection measured for such a Fano-resonant metasurface exhibits a 100 nm bandwidth and a color routing efficiency of up to 81% at a central wavelength of λ=750 nm. The design flexibility provided by this Fano-assisted metasurface for color-selective light manipulation is further illustrated by demonstrating a highly directional color-routing effect between two channels, at λ=532 and 660 nm, without any crosstalk.  
      Keywords:color filtering;Fourier imaging;metasurfaces;plasmonic Fano resonance;wavefront manipulation   
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      Published:2024-09-19
    • He Wen,Hongjun Zheng,Qi Mo,Amado Manuel Velázquez-Benítez,Cen Xia,Bin Huang,Huiyuan Liu,Huang Yu,Pierre Sillard,Jose Enrique Antonio Lopez,Rodrigo Amezcua Correa,Guifang Li
      Vol. 6, Issue 3, (2017) DOI: 10.1038/lsa.2017.21
      Abstract:The fibre-optic microwave photonic link has become one of the basic building blocks for microwave photonics. Increasing the optical power at the receiver is the best way to improve all link performance metrics including gain, noise figure and dynamic range. Even though lasers can produce and photodetectors can receive optical powers on the order of a Watt or more, the power-handling capability of optical fibres is orders-of-magnitude lower. In this paper, we propose and demonstrate the use of few-mode fibres to bridge this power-handling gap, exploiting their unique features of small acousto-optic effective area, large effective areas of optical modes, as well as orthogonality and walk-off among spatial modes. Using specially designed few-mode fibres, we demonstrate order-of-magnitude improvements in link performances for single-channel and multiplexed transmission. This work represents the first step in few-mode microwave photonics. The spatial degrees of freedom can also offer other functionalities such as large, tunable delays based on modal dispersion and wavelength-independent lossless signal combining, which are indispensable in microwave photonics.  
      Keywords:analogue optic-fibre link;few-mode fibre;fibre nonlinearity;microwave photonics;space-division multiplexing   
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      Published:2024-09-19
    • Chao Xie,Peng You,Zhike Liu,Li Li,Feng Yan
      Vol. 6, Issue 3, (2017) DOI: 10.1038/lsa.2017.23
      Abstract:Organolead halide perovskites have emerged as the most promising materials for various optoelectronic devices, especially solar cells, because of their excellent optoelectronic properties. Here, we present the first report of low-voltage high-gain phototransistors based on perovskite/organic-semiconductor vertical heterojunctions, which show ultrahigh responsivities of ~109A W–1 and specific detectivities of ~1014 Jones in a broadband region from the ultraviolet to the near infrared. The high sensitivity of the devices is attributed to a pronounced photogating effect that is mainly due to the long carrier lifetimes and strong light absorption in the perovskite material. In addition, flexible perovskite photodetectors have been successfully prepared via a solution process and show high sensitivity as well as excellent flexibility and bending durability. The high performance and facile solution-based fabrication of the perovskite/organic-semiconductor phototransistors indicate their promise for potential application for ultrasensitive broadband photodetection.  
      Keywords:broadband;flexible;organic semiconductor;perovskite;photodetector   
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      Published:2024-09-19
    • Behnam Abaie,Esmaeil Mobini,Salman Karbasi,Thomas Hawkins,John Ballato,Arash Mafi
      Vol. 6, Issue 3, (2017) DOI: 10.1038/lsa.2017.41
      Abstract:A directional random laser mediated by transverse Anderson localization in a disordered glass optical fiber is reported. Previous demonstrations of random lasers have found limited applications because of their multi-directionality and chaotic fluctuations in the laser emission. The random laser presented in this paper operates in the Anderson localization regime. The disorder induced localized states form isolated local channels that make the output laser beam highly directional and stabilize its spectrum. The strong transverse disorder and longitudinal invariance result in isolated lasing modes with negligible interaction with their surroundings, traveling back and forth in a Fabry–Perot cavity formed by the air–fiber interfaces. It is shown that if a localized input pump is scanned across the disordered fiber input facet, the output laser signal follows the transverse position of the pump. Moreover, a uniformly distributed pump across the input facet of the disordered fiber generates a laser signal with very low spatial coherence that can be of practical importance in many optical platforms including image transport with fiber bundles.  
      Keywords:disordered optical fiber;random lasing;transverse Anderson localization   
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      Published:2024-09-19
    • Srdjan S Aćimović,Hana Šípová,Gustav Emilsson,Andreas B Dahlin,Tomasz J Antosiewicz,Mikael Käll
      Vol. 6, Issue 3, (2017) DOI: 10.1038/lsa.2017.42
      Abstract:Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) biosensing based on supported metal nanoparticles offers unparalleled possibilities for high-end miniaturization, multiplexing and high-throughput label-free molecular interaction analysis in real time when integrated within an opto-fluidic environment. However, such LSPR-sensing devices typically contain extremely large regions of dielectric materials that are open to molecular adsorption, which must be carefully blocked to avoid compromising the device readings. To address this issue, we made the support essentially invisible to the LSPR by carefully removing the dielectric material overlapping with the localized plasmonic fields through optimized wet-etching. The resulting LSPR substrate, which consists of gold nanodisks centered on narrow SiO2 pillars, exhibits markedly reduced vulnerability to nonspecific substrate adsorption, thus allowing, in an ideal case, the implementation of thicker and more efficient passivation layers. We demonstrate that this approach is effective and fully compatible with state-of-the-art multiplexed real-time biosensing technology and thus represents the ideal substrate design for high-throughput label-free biosensing systems with minimal sample consumption.  
      Keywords:biosensing;hyperspectral;lab-on-a-chip;LSPR;nonspecific adsorption   
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      Published:2024-09-19
    • Hai-Wei Chen,Rui-Dong Zhu,Juan He,Wei Duan,Wei Hu,Yan-Qing Lu,Ming-Chun Li,Seok-Lyul Lee,Ya-Jie Dong,Shin-Tson Wu
      Vol. 6, Issue 3, (2017) DOI: 10.1038/lsa.2017.43
      Abstract:In this study, we analyze how a backlight's peak wavelength, full-width at half-maximum (FWHM), and color filters affect the color gamut of a liquid crystal display (LCD) device and establish a theoretical limit, even if the FWHM approaches 1 nm. To overcome this limit, we propose a new backlight system incorporating a functional reflective polarizer and a patterned half-wave plate to decouple the polarization states of the blue light and the green/red lights. As a result, the crosstalk between three primary colors is greatly suppressed, and the color gamut is significantly widened. In the experiment, we prepare a white-light source using a blue light-emitting diode (LED) to pump green perovskite polymer film and red quantum dots and demonstrate an exceedingly large color gamut (95.8% Rec. 2020 in Commission internationale de l'éclairage (CIE) 1931 color space and 97.3% Rec. 2020 in CIE 1976 color space) with commercial high-efficiency color filters. These results are beyond the color gamut limit achievable by a conventional LCD. Our design works equally well for other light sources, such as a 2-phosphor-converted white LED.  
      Keywords:color gamut;liquid crystal displays;perovskite;polarization;quantum dot   
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      Published:2024-09-19
    • Andreas Ehn,Joakim Bood,Zheming Li,Edouard Berrocal,Marcus Aldén,Elias Kristensson
      Vol. 6, Issue 3, (2017) DOI: 10.1038/lsa.2017.45
      Abstract:Many important scientific questions in physics, chemistry and biology require effective methodologies to spectroscopically probe ultrafast intra- and inter-atomic/molecular dynamics. However, current methods that extend into the femtosecond regime are capable of only point measurements or single-snapshot visualizations and thus lack the capability to perform ultrafast spectroscopic videography of dynamic single events. Here we present a laser-probe-based method that enables two-dimensional videography at ultrafast timescales (femtosecond and shorter) of single, non-repetitive events. The method is based on superimposing a structural code onto the illumination to encrypt a single event, which is then deciphered in a post-processing step. This coding strategy enables laser probing with arbitrary wavelengths/bandwidths to collect signals with indiscriminate spectral information, thus allowing for ultrafast videography with full spectroscopic capability. To demonstrate the high temporal resolution of our method, we present videography of light propagation with record high 200 femtosecond temporal resolution. The method is widely applicable for studying a multitude of dynamical processes in physics, chemistry and biology over a wide range of time scales. Because the minimum frame separation (temporal resolution) is dictated by only the laser pulse duration, attosecond-laser technology may further increase video rates by several orders of magnitude.  
      Keywords:imaging techniques;ultrafast photonics;ultrafast spectroscopy;videography   
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      Published:2024-09-19
    • Jacob Reimers,Aaron Bauer,Kevin P Thompson,Jannick P Rolland
      Vol. 6, Issue 3, (2017) DOI: 10.1038/lsa.2017.26
      Abstract:We present optical designs with freeform optics in the context of hyperspectral imaging. Results show designs that are 5 × more compact in volume than similar designs using conventional spherical or aspherical surfaces. We will show how combining the concepts of spatial and spectral-band broadening, which will be introduced in this paper, led to the improvement in compactness that is uniquely enabled by freeform optics.  
      Keywords:aberrations;freeform optics;imaging spectrometer   
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      Published:2024-09-19
    • Elhanan Maguid,Igor Yulevich,Michael Yannai,Vladimir Kleiner,Mark L Brongersma,Erez Hasman
      Vol. 6, Issue 3, (2017) DOI: 10.1038/lsa.2017.27
      Abstract:Shared-aperture technology for multifunctional planar systems, performing several simultaneous tasks, was first introduced in the field of radar antennas. In photonics, effective control of the electromagnetic response can be achieved by a geometric-phase mechanism implemented within a metasurface, enabling spin-controlled phase modulation. The synthesis of the shared-aperture and geometric-phase concepts facilitates the generation of multifunctional metasurfaces. Here shared-aperture geometric-phase metasurfaces were realized via the interleaving of sparse antenna sub-arrays, forming Si-based devices consisting of multiplexed geometric-phase profiles. We study the performance limitations of interleaved nanoantenna arrays by means of a Wigner phase-space distribution to establish the ultimate information capacity of a metasurface-based photonic system. Within these limitations, we present multifunctional spin-dependent dielectric metasurfaces, and demonstrate multiple-beam technology for optical rotation sensing. We also demonstrate the possibility of achieving complete real-time control and measurement of the fundamental, intrinsic properties of light, including frequency, polarization and orbital angular momentum.  
      Keywords:geometric phase;metasurface;multifunctional;shared aperture;spectropolarimetry;spin-optics;Wigner distribution   
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      Published:2024-09-19
    • Dordaneh Etezadi,John B Warner Ⅳ,Francesco S Ruggeri,Giovanni Dietler,Hilal A Lashuel,Hatice Altug
      Vol. 6, Issue 3, (2017) DOI: 10.1038/lsa.2017.29
      Abstract:Plasmonic nanoantennas offer new applications in mid-infrared (mid-IR) absorption spectroscopy with ultrasensitive detection of structural signatures of biomolecules, such as proteins, due to their strong resonant near-fields. The amide Ⅰ fingerprint of a protein contains conformational information that is greatly important for understanding its function in health and disease. Here, we introduce a non-invasive, label-free mid-IR nanoantenna-array sensor for secondary structure identification of nanometer-thin protein layers in aqueous solution by resolving the content of plasmonically enhanced amide Ⅰ signatures. We successfully detect random coil to cross β-sheet conformational changes associated with α-synuclein protein aggregation, a detrimental process in many neurodegenerative disorders. Notably, our experimental results demonstrate high conformational sensitivity by differentiating subtle secondary-structural variations in a native β-sheet protein monolayer from those of cross β-sheets, which are characteristic of pathological aggregates. Our nanoplasmonic biosensor is a highly promising and versatile tool for in vitro structural analysis of thin protein layers.  
      Keywords:label-free biosensing;nanoantennas;plasmonics;protein secondary structure;surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy   
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      Published:2024-09-19
    • Sören Kreinberg,Weng W Chow,Janik Wolters,Christian Schneider,Christopher Gies,Frank Jahnke,Sven Höfling,Martin Kamp,Stephan Reitzenstein
      Vol. 6, Issue 3, (2017) DOI: 10.1038/lsa.2017.30
      Abstract:Measured and calculated results are presented for the emission properties of a new class of emitters operating in the cavity quantum electrodynamics regime. The structures are based on high-finesse GaAs/AlAs micropillar cavities, each with an active medium consisting of a layer of InGaAs quantum dots (QDs) and the distinguishing feature of having a substantial fraction of spontaneous emission channeled into one cavity mode (high β-factor). This paper demonstrates that the usual criterion for lasing with a conventional (low β-factor) cavity, that is, a sharp non-linearity in the input–output curve accompanied by noticeable linewidth narrowing, has to be reinforced by the equal-time second-order photon autocorrelation function to confirm lasing. The paper also shows that the equal-time second-order photon autocorrelation function is useful for recognizing superradiance, a manifestation of the correlations possible in high-β microcavities operating with QDs. In terms of consolidating the collected data and identifying the physics underlying laser action, both theory and experiment suggest a sole dependence on intracavity photon number. Evidence for this assertion comes from all our measured and calculated data on emission coherence and fluctuation, for devices ranging from light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and cavity-enhanced LEDs to lasers, lying on the same two curves: one for linewidth narrowing versus intracavity photon number and the other for g(2)(0) versus intracavity photon number.  
      Keywords:coherence;laser physics;microlasers;nanolasers;optoelectronics;photon statistics;quantum dots;quantum optics   
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      Published:2024-09-19
    • Nigam Samantaray,Ivano Ruo-Berchera,Alice Meda,Marco Genovese
      Vol. 6, Issue 3, (2017) DOI: 10.1038/lsa.2017.5
      Abstract:Recently, several proof of principle experiments have demonstrated the advantages of quantum technologies over classical schemes. The present challenge is to surpass the limits of proof of principle demonstrations to approach real applications. This letter presents such an achievement in the field of quantum enhanced imaging. In particular, we describe the realization of a sub-shot-noise wide field microscope based on spatially multi-mode non-classical photon number correlations in twin beams. The microscope produces realtime images of 8000 pixels at full resolution, for a 500 μm2 field of view, with noise reduced to 80% of the shot noise level (for each pixel), which is suitable for absorption imaging of complex structures. By fast post-elaboration, specifically applying a quantum enhanced median filter, the noise can be further reduced (to <30% of the shot noise level) by setting a trade-off with the resolution, thus achieving the best sensitivity per incident photon reported in absorption microscopy.  
      Keywords:imaging;microscopy;parametric down conversion;sub-shot-noise   
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      Published:2024-09-19
    • Heng Zhou,Shu-Wei Huang,Xiujian Li,James F McMillan,Chi Zhang,Kenneth Kin-Yip Wong,Mingbin Yu,Guo-Qiang Lo,Dim-Lee Kwong,Kun Qiu,Chee Wei Wong
      Vol. 6, Issue 3, (2017) DOI: 10.1038/lsa.2017.8
      Abstract:Optical solitons—stable waves balancing delicately between nonlinearities and dispersive effects—have advanced the field of ultrafast optics and dynamics, with contributions spanning from supercontinuum generation to soliton fission, optical event horizons, Hawking radiation and optical rogue waves, among others. Here, we investigate picojoule soliton dynamics in silicon slow-light, photonic-bandgap waveguides under the influence of Drude-modeled, free-carrier-induced nonlinear effects. Using real-time and single-shot amplified dispersive Fourier transform spectroscopy simultaneously with high-fidelity cross-correlation frequency resolved optical gating at femtojoule sensitivity and femtosecond resolution, we examine the soliton stability limits, the soliton dynamics including free-carrier quartic slow-light scaling and acceleration, and the Drude electron–hole plasma-induced perturbations in the Cherenkov radiation and modulation instability. Our real-time single-shot and time-averaged cross-correlation measurements are matched with our detailed theoretical modeling, examining the reduced group velocity free-carrier kinetics on solitons at the picojoule scale.  
      Keywords:nonlinear kinetics;optical solitons;photonic bandgap materials   
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      Published:2024-09-19
    • Jincheng Ni,Chaowei Wang,Chenchu Zhang,Yanlei Hu,Liang Yang,Zhaoxin Lao,Bing Xu,Jiawen Li,Dong Wu,Jiaru Chu
      Vol. 6, Issue 3, (2017) DOI: 10.1038/lsa.2017.11
      Abstract:Optical vortices, a type of structured beam with helical phase wavefronts and 'doughnut'-shaped intensity distributions, have been used to fabricate chiral structures in metals and spiral patterns in anisotropic polarization-dependent azobenzene polymers. However, in isotropic polymers, the fabricated microstructures are typically confined to non-chiral cylindrical geometry due to the two-dimensional 'doughnut'-shaped intensity profile of the optical vortices. Here we develop a powerful strategy to realize chiral microstructures in isotropic material by coaxial interference of a vortex beam and a plane wave, which produces three-dimensional (3D) spiral optical fields. These coaxial interference beams are generated by designing contrivable holograms consisting of an azimuthal phase and an equiphase loaded on a liquid-crystal spatial light modulator. In isotropic polymers, 3D chiral microstructures are achieved under illumination using coaxial interference femtosecond laser beams with their chirality controlled by the topological charge. Our further investigation reveals that the spiral lobes and chirality are caused by interfering patterns and helical phase wavefronts, respectively. This technique is simple, stable and easy to perform, and it offers broad applications in optical tweezers, optical communications and fast metamaterial fabrication.  
      Keywords:chiral microstructure;coaxial interference;optical vortex;two-photon fabrication   
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      Published:2024-09-19
    • Benjamin Bruhn,Benjamin JM Brenny,Sidoeri Dekker,Ilker Doğan,Peter Schall,Katerina Dohnalová
      Vol. 6, Issue 3, (2017) DOI: 10.1038/lsa.2017.7
      Abstract:Silicon nanocrystals (SiNCs) have great potential to become environmental friendly alternatives to heavy-metal containing nanocrystals for applications including medical imaging, lighting and displays. SiNCs exhibit excellent photostability, non-toxicity and abundant resources, but their often reported inefficient and spectrally limited light emission seriously impair their applications. Here we demonstrate a new method that converts SiNCs into an efficient and robust multi-chromatic phosphor. Using ~15 keV electron-beam irradiation of oxide-capped SiNCs, we introduce several types of color centers into the nanocrystal's oxide shell with efficient blue, green and red emission bands, together yielding warm-white photoluminescence, even for a single SiNC. Introduced centers are not native to the original system and we relate them to known defects in silica. Unlike in the silica host, however, here the centers are efficiently optically excitable. Provided further optimization and up-scaling of this method, e-beam irradiated SiNCs can be of great interest as white phosphors for applications such as LEDs.  
      Keywords:cathodoluminscence;color center;electron beam;multi-chromaticity;silicon nanocrystals   
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      Published:2024-09-19
    • Zhe Yang,Omar S Magaña-Loaiza,Mohammad Mirhosseini,Yiyu Zhou,Boshen Gao,Lu Gao,Seyed Mohammad Hashemi Rafsanjani,Gui-Lu Long,Robert W Boyd
      Vol. 6, Issue 3, (2017) DOI: 10.1038/lsa.2017.13
      Abstract:Photons that are entangled or correlated in orbital angular momentum have been extensively used for remote sensing, object identification and imaging. It has recently been demonstrated that intensity fluctuations give rise to the formation of correlations in the orbital angular momentum components and angular positions of random light. Here we demonstrate that the spatial signatures and phase information of an object with rotational symmetries can be identified using classical orbital angular momentum correlations in random light. The Fourier components imprinted in the digital spiral spectrum of the object, as measured through intensity correlations, unveil its spatial and phase information. Sharing similarities with conventional compressive sensing protocols that exploit sparsity to reduce the number of measurements required to reconstruct a signal, our technique allows sensing of an object with fewer measurements than other schemes that use pixel-by-pixel imaging. One remarkable advantage of our technique is that it does not require the preparation of fragile quantum states of light and operates at both low- and high-light levels. In addition, our technique is robust against environmental noise, a fundamental feature of any realistic scheme for remote sensing.  
      Keywords:object identification;orbital angular momentum;random light;remote sensing;second-order correlation   
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      Published:2024-09-19
    • Yi-Chen Wu,Ashutosh Shiledar,Yi-Cheng Li,Jeffrey Wong,Steve Feng,Xuan Chen,Christine Chen,Kevin Jin,Saba Janamian,Zhe Yang,Zachary Scott Ballard,Zoltán Göröcs,Alborz Feizi,Aydogan Ozcan
      Vol. 6, Issue 3, (2017) DOI: 10.1038/lsa.2017.46
      Abstract:Rapid, accurate and high-throughput sizing and quantification of particulate matter (PM) in air is crucial for monitoring and improving air quality. In fact, particles in air with a diameter of ≤2.5 μm have been classified as carcinogenic by the World Health Organization. Here we present a field-portable cost-effective platform for high-throughput quantification of particulate matter using computational lens-free microscopy and machine-learning. This platform, termed c-Air, is also integrated with a smartphone application for device control and display of results. This mobile device rapidly screens 6.5 L of air in 30 s and generates microscopic images of the aerosols in air. It provides statistics of the particle size and density distribution with a sizing accuracy of ~93%. We tested this mobile platform by measuring the air quality at different indoor and outdoor environments and measurement times, and compared our results to those of an Environmental Protection Agency–approved device based on beta-attenuation monitoring, which showed strong correlation to c-Air measurements. Furthermore, we used c-Air to map the air quality around Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) over 24 h to confirm that the impact of LAX on increased PM concentration was present even at > 7 km away from the airport, especially along the direction of landing flights. With its machine-learning-based computational microscopy interface, c-Air can be adaptively tailored to detect specific particles in air, for example, various types of pollen and mold and provide a cost-effective mobile solution for highly accurate and distributed sensing of air quality.  
      Keywords:air-quality monitoring;holography;machine learning;particulate matter   
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      Published:2024-09-19
    • Brijesh K Singh,Harel Nagar,Yael Roichman,Ady Arie
      Vol. 6, Issue 3, (2017) DOI: 10.1038/lsa.2017.50
      Abstract:The diffraction-limited resolution of light focused by a lens was derived in 1873 by Ernst Abbe. Later in 1952, a method to reach sub-diffraction light spots was proposed by modulating the wavefront of the focused beam. In a related development, super-oscillating functions, that is, band-limited functions that locally oscillate faster than their highest Fourier component, were introduced and experimentally applied for super-resolution microscopy. Up till now, only simple Gaussian-like sub-diffraction spots were used. Here we show that the amplitude and phase profile of these sub-diffraction spots can be arbitrarily controlled. In particular, we utilize Hermite–Gauss, Laguerre–Gauss and Airy functions to structure super-oscillating beams with sub-diffraction lobes. These structured beams are then used for high-resolution trapping and manipulation of nanometer-sized particles. The trapping potential provides unprecedented localization accuracy and stiffness, significantly exceeding those provided by standard diffraction-limited beams.  
      Keywords:beam shaping;optical tweezers;optical vortex;super-oscillating beams   
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      Published:2024-09-19
    • Vittorio Bianco,Biagio Mandracchia,Valentina Marchesano,Vito Pagliarulo,Federico Olivieri,Sara Coppola,Melania Paturzo,Pietro Ferraro
      Vol. 6, Issue 3, (2017) DOI: 10.1038/lsa.2017.55
      Abstract:Lab-on-a-Chip (LoC) devices are extremely promising in that they enable diagnostic functions at the point-of-care. Within this scope, an important goal is to design imaging schemes that can be used out of the laboratory. In this paper, we introduce and test a pocket holographic slide that allows digital holography microscopy to be performed without an interferometer setup. Instead, a commercial off-the-shelf plastic chip is engineered and functionalized with this aim. The microfluidic chip is endowed with micro-optics, that is, a diffraction grating and polymeric lenses, to build an interferometer directly on the chip, avoiding the need for a reference arm and external bulky optical components. Thanks to the single-beam scheme, the system is completely integrated and robust against vibrations, sharing the useful features of any common path interferometer. Hence, it becomes possible to bring holographic functionalities out of the lab, moving complexity from the external optical apparatus to the chip itself. Label-free imaging and quantitative phase contrast mapping of live samples are demonstrated, along with flexible refocusing capabilities. Thus, a liquid volume can be analyzed in one single shot with no need for mechanical scanning systems.  
      Keywords:diffraction gratings;digital holography;lab-on-a-chip;micro-optics;optical devices;polymer printing   
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      Published:2024-09-19
    • Carlos García-Meca,Sergio Lechago,Antoine Brimont,Amadeu Griol,Sara Mas,Luis Sánchez,Laurent Bellieres,Nuria S Losilla,Javier Martí
      Vol. 6, Issue 3, (2017) DOI: 10.1038/lsa.2017.53
      Abstract:Photonic integrated circuits are developing as key enabling components for high-performance computing and advanced network-on-chip, as well as other emerging technologies such as lab-on-chip sensors, with relevant applications in areas from medicine and biotechnology to aerospace. These demanding applications will require novel features, such as dynamically reconfigurable light pathways, obtained by properly harnessing on-chip optical radiation. In this paper, we introduce a broadband, high directivity (> 150), low loss and reconfigurable silicon photonics nanoantenna that fully enables on-chip radiation control. We propose the use of these nanoantennas as versatile building blocks to develop wireless (unguided) silicon photonic devices, which considerably enhance the range of achievable integrated photonic functionalities. As examples of applications, we demonstrate 160 Gbit s−1 data transmission over mm-scale wireless interconnects, a compact low-crosstalk 12-port crossing and electrically reconfigurable pathways via optical beam steering. Moreover, the realization of a flow micro-cytometer for particle characterization demonstrates the smart system integration potential of our approach as lab-on-chip devices.  
      Keywords:integrated optics;lab-on-a-chip devices;nanoantenna;sensing;silicon photonics   
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      Published:2024-09-19
    • Zhong-Quan Nie,Han Lin,Xiao-Fei Liu,Ai-Ping Zhai,Yan-Ting Tian,Wen-Jie Wang,Dong-Yu Li,Wei-Qiang Ding,Xue-Ru Zhang,Ying-Lin Song,Bao-Hua Jia
      Vol. 6, Issue 3, (2017) DOI: 10.1038/lsa.2017.32
      Abstract:We demonstrate an all-optical strategy for realizing spherical three-dimensional (3D) super-resolution (~λ3/22) spot arrays of pure longitudinal magnetization by exploiting a 4π optical microscopic setup with two high numerical aperture (NA) objective lenses, which focus and interfere two modulated vectorial beams. Multiple phase filters (MPFs) are designed via an analytical approach derived from the vectorial Debye diffraction theory to modulate the two circularly polarized beams. The system is tailored to constructively interfere the longitudinal magnetization components, while simultaneously destructively interfering the azimuthal ones. As a result, the magnetization field is not only purely longitudinal but also super-resolved in all three dimensions. Furthermore, the MPFs can be designed analytically to control the number and locations of the super-resolved magnetization spots to produce both uniform and nonuniform arrays in a 3D volume. Thus, an all-optical control of all the properties of light-induced magnetization spot arrays has been demonstrated for the first time. These results open up broad applications in magnetic-optical devices such as confocal and multifocal magnetic resonance microscopy, 3D ultrahigh-density magneto-optic memory, and light-induced magneto-lithography.  
      Keywords:inverse Faraday effect;longitudinal magnetization;magnetic-optical devices;magneto-optics;vectorial beams;vectorial Debye diffraction theory   
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      Published:2024-09-19
    • Konstantinos G Makris,Andre Brandstötter,Philipp Ambichl,Ziad H Musslimani,Stefan Rotter
      Vol. 6, Issue 3, (2017) DOI: 10.1038/lsa.2017.35
      Abstract:A fundamental manifestation of wave scattering in a disordered medium is the highly complex intensity pattern the waves acquire due to multi-path interference. Here we show that these intensity variations can be entirely suppressed by adding disorder-specific gain and loss components to the medium. The resulting constant-intensity waves in such non-Hermitian scattering landscapes are free of any backscattering and feature perfect transmission through the disorder. An experimental demonstration of these unique wave states is envisioned based on spatially modulated pump beams that can flexibly control the gain and loss components in an active medium.  
      Keywords:Anderson localisation;complex media;non-Hermitian physics;scattering   
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      Published:2024-09-19
    • Guang Hui Yuan,Edward TF Rogers,Nikolay I Zheludev
      Vol. 6, Issue 3, (2017) DOI: 10.1038/lsa.2017.36
      Abstract:Lenses are crucial to light-enabled technologies. Conventional lenses have been perfected to achieve near-diffraction-limited resolution and minimal chromatic aberrations. However, such lenses are bulky and cannot focus light into a hotspot smaller than a half-wavelength of light. Pupil filters, initially suggested by Toraldo di Francia, can overcome the resolution constraints of conventional lenses but are not intrinsically chromatically corrected. Here we report single-element planar lenses that not only deliver sub-wavelength focusing, thus beating the diffraction limit of conventional refractive lenses, but also focus light of different colors into the same hotspot. Using the principle of super-oscillations, we designed and fabricated a range of binary dielectric and metallic lenses for visible and infrared parts of the spectrum that are manufactured on silicon wafers, silica substrates and optical fiber tips. Such low-cost, compact lenses could be useful in mobile devices, data storage, surveillance, robotics, space applications, imaging, manufacturing with light and spatially resolved nonlinear microscopies.  
      Keywords:achromatic;super-oscillation;super-resolution   
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      Published:2024-09-19
    • Da-Bing Li,Xiao-Juan Sun,Yu-Ping Jia,Mark I Stockman,Hari P Paudel,Hang Song,Hong Jiang,Zhi-Ming Li
      Vol. 6, Issue 3, (2017) DOI: 10.1038/lsa.2017.38
      Abstract:A surface plasmon (SP) is a fundamental excitation state that exists in metal nanostructures. Over the past several years, the performance of optoelectronic devices has been improved greatly via the SP enhancement effect. In our previous work, the responsivity of GaN ultraviolet detectors was increased by over 30 times when using Ag nanoparticles. However, the physics of the SP enhancement effect has not been established definitely because of the lack of experimental evidence. To reveal the physical origin of this enhancement, Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) was used to observe the SP-induced surface potential reduction in the vicinity of Ag nanoparticles on a GaN epilayer. Under ultraviolet illumination, the localized field enhancement induced by the SP forces the photogenerated electrons to drift close to the Ag nanoparticles, leading to a reduction of the surface potential around the Ag nanoparticles on the GaN epilayer. For an isolated Ag nanoparticle with a diameter of ~200 nm, the distribution of the SP localized field is located within 60 nm of the boundary of the Ag nanoparticle. For a dimer of Ag nanoparticles, the localized field enhancement between the nanoparticles was the strongest. The results presented here provide direct experimental proof of the localized field enhancement. These results not only explain the high performance of GaN detectors observed with the use of Ag nanoparticles but also reveal the physical mechanism of SP enhancement in optoelectronic devices, which will help us further understand and improve the performance of SP-based optoelectronic devices in the future.  
      Keywords:detector;GaN;KPFM;plasmon   
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      Published:2024-09-19

      Review

    • Dongliang Gao,Weiqiang Ding,Manuel Nieto-Vesperinas,Xumin Ding,Mahdy Rahman,Tianhang Zhang,ChweeTeck Lim,Cheng-Wei Qiu
      Vol. 6, Issue 3, (2017) DOI: 10.1038/lsa.2017.39
      Abstract:Since the invention of optical tweezers, optical manipulation has advanced significantly in scientific areas such as atomic physics, optics and biological science. Especially in the past decade, numerous optical beams and nanoscale devices have been proposed to mechanically act on nanoparticles in increasingly precise, stable and flexible ways. Both the linear and angular momenta of light can be exploited to produce optical tractor beams, tweezers and optical torque from the microscale to the nanoscale. Research on optical forces helps to reveal the nature of light–matter interactions and to resolve the fundamental aspects, which require an appropriate description of momenta and the forces on objects in matter. In this review, starting from basic theories and computational approaches, we highlight the latest optical trapping configurations and their applications in bioscience, as well as recent advances down to the nanoscale. Finally, we discuss the future prospects of nanomanipulation, which has considerable potential applications in a variety of scientific fields and everyday life.  
      Keywords:biochemical manipulation;microscale;nanoscale;optical force;optical tweezer;plasmonics   
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      Published:2024-09-19
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